Piano Concerto No. 1 (Emerson)
| "Piano Concerto No. 1" | |
|---|---|
| Instrumental by Emerson, Lake & Palmer | |
| from the album Works Volume 1 | |
| Released | 17 March, 1977 |
| Recorded | 1976 |
| Genre | Classical |
| Length | 18:18 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | Keith Emerson |
| Producer(s) | Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Carl Palmer, Peter Sinfield |
"Piano Concerto No. 1" is a piece by the progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It was released on their 1977 album Works Volume 1. Because the song is 18 minutes long, it takes up the whole first side on the album.
According to Jim Allen of Ultimate Classic Rock, the piece is performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the piece "maximizes his classical inspirations while also finding time to work in some distinct jazz flavors". Allen said that that the piece was a "pretty ballsy move" to open an album, even for ELP standards.[1]
Movements
"Piano Concerto No. 1" is split up into three movements, which are:
1.Allegro giojoso
2.Andante molto cantabile
3.Toccata con fuoco
A live performance of the third movement in "Piano Concerto No. 1", Toccata con fuoco, is included on the 1998 album Then and Now.
Reception
AllMusic reviewer Bruce Eder said that "Piano Concerto No. 1" is "on the level of a good music-student piece, without much original language", and that "where Emerson, in conjunction with his conductor and co-orchestrator, John Mayer, succeeds admirably is in writing beautiful virtuoso passages for the piano."[2]