In the twentieth century, no composer made such a significant contribution to the piano concerto genre as Nikolai Medtner, measured against his entire oeuvre. While composers like Rachmaninoff, Bartók, and Prokofiev certainly wrote well-known piano concertos, their importance as musical creators would hardly be any different even without these works.
The three piano concertos form the core of Medtner's musical output. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he composed neither symphonies nor concertos for other instruments or operas. His compositions for piano and orchestra represent the pinnacle of his artistic achievement.
Even at a young age, Medtner gained recognition as an outstanding pianist. At just twenty years old, his exceptional talent was honored with the gold medal of the Moscow Conservatory. His musical language was shaped by elements of the Russian musical tradition and remained rather conservative compared to the innovative soundscapes of other composers of his time.
His first piano concerto in C minor demonstrates Medtner's masterful command of sonata form and deliberately departs from conventional concerto structures. After intensive work, he completed the piece in 1917, and the premiere took place in Moscow in 1918 under the direction of Serge Koussevitzky.
After years in Berlin and Paris, Medtner settled in London in the 1930s, where he lived until his death in 1951. Despite health problems during the Second World War, he continued to compose significant works and remained true to his Orthodox faith. His piano quintet, premiered in London in 1950, impressively blends his profound spirituality with his music.