Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83

The largest and most symphonic piano concerto in the standard repertoire, Op. 83 is one of the supreme challenges of the pianist's art. Brahms completed it in 1881, 22 years after the First Concerto, and the distance in mastery is immense. The addition of a scherzo second movement (unique among the great concertos) gives it a four-movement structure approaching a symphony with obligato piano. The slow movement's opening cello solo — one of the most beautiful passages in Brahms — and the finale's Hungarian dance energy make this as much a work for the orchestra as for the soloist. Brahms himself premiered it in Stuttgart in November 1881.