At the same time Walton writes his Cello Concerto, Shostakovich writes his second piano concerto (the first is for piano, trumpet and strings).
It was composed for his son Maxim’s 19th birthday, and premiered at the Moscow Conservatoire. It is a comparatively jolly work next to works composed at the same time.
It’s in typical fast-slow-fast movement form for a concerto. The outer movements are kaleidoscopic in their textures and handling of thematic material across the orchestra. The inner movement is popular, but also clever in that the switches the C-major/E-minor progression to C minor/Eb major in a very subtle but profoundly affecting manner.
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