Dmitry Kabalevsky - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Op. 50; "Youth"

Soviet Russian composer Dmitry Kabalevsky’s Third Piano Concerto is a sunny and exhilarating work written for the young performer. It demonstrates virtuosity while staying safe within the bounds of a student’s technical ability. The concerto, like much of Kabalevsky’s work, is rather conventional, diatonic, and generally adheres to common practice methodology. It is as Romantic as any given painting of a group of peasant workers, visibly tanned and with tools in hand, standing tall with their fists raised, looking up toward the sun which, like an Orthodox halo, envelops a beaming portrait of some totalitarian Great Leader.

The first movement begins with dramatic fanfare, and is followed by a wildly joyous expositional melody. Even with all the jubilation, there are deep brooding sections that call back to the style of Rachmaninoff. A hectic piano cadenza is situated in the center of the piece, preceding the recapitulation.

The slow second movement is substantially more restrained in comparison to the first and third. The pizzicato string notes tiptoe around the somber melody played on the piano. The melody, played in two voices, is doubled with the difference of an octave. The mood quickly changes from solemn to serene, when a pastoral tune in the virgin key of C emerges from the gloom. In the same section, the tune is modulated through the keys of an augmented chord and developed into multiple distinct textures, including the shimmering harp-like passage when in the A-flat. It is concluded with a Tchaikovskian descent.

The third movement is, once again, very swift. The merry mood from the first movement returns, with even more spirit and agility than before. The mischief is interrupted by a strict but elegant march. Prior to the coda, a lush theme from the first movement reappears with great pomp and circumstance.


Date: 1952
Catalogue: Op. 50
Dedicatee: All young Soviet performers

Movements:
No. 1 - Allegro molto in D Major: 0:08
No. 2 - Andante con moto in G Minor: 6:24
No. 3 - Presto in D Major: 12:30

Performers:
Kathryn Stott on piano
Vassily Sinaisky as conductor
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Note: This channel does not own the score or audio, and they are used for non-commercial purposes.