Moszkowski primarily wrote for the piano, but did compose an opera, violin concerto, and other works for orchestra. This piano concerto, Op. 59, may well be his finest large score and its general neglect is hard to explain. It had once achieved a certain level of popularity in European concert halls, even if it did not quite move into the standard repertory. In the post-World War I era, however, it gradually faded. Cast in four movements, it is a fairly lengthy work, lasting 35 to 40 minutes in most performances. The first movement is marked Moderato and has a somewhat Schumann-esque character. It exudes great passion in places, with big powerful chords to punctuate the mood; there are also moments of lovely repose. The stormy development section contains much interesting and exciting music and the coda is particularly well-crafted, too. Thematically, this opening panel is also quite appealing. The second movement Andante features a light, attractive march and the ensuing Scherzo, marked Vivace, is busy in its Lisztian menace and glitter. The Allegro deciso finale offers a joyous melody and cheerful mood throughout. The writing for both the piano and orchestra is skillfully crafted in this concerto and Moszkowski exhibits a fine sense for contrast and balance. In the end, this mostly light work must be assessed as one of the finer efforts in the piano concerto genre from one of the last of the Romantics, a conservative who knew his tradition well.

© Robert Cummings, All Music Guide