Schumann Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 54, 1st movement
I like the dynamic nature of this movement, such as the way it changes rapidly from forceful to gentle, sounding sometimes brooding and at other times very sweet. The song builds suspense and changes many times throughout it, too, giving me much to think about.
My favorite parts are:
at 2:16 when the piano plays the main melody as a solo and has a few moments where all you can hear is a single note followed by a chord. The piece refines down from the whole orchestra to just a single note, causing the piece to feel light and airy;
at 2:26 when the low cello entrance occurs, slipping in like a low wave of water on a beach;
at 4:27 the brief moment of melancholy;
at 4:36 the beautiful piano solo, with the string entrance followed by the clarinet picking up the solo;
at 5:02 the sweetest moment of all, a very simple yet emotional melody especially at 5:04. It reminds me a little of elevator music, very contemporary, but I like it.
I feel Schumann masterfully meshes the orchestra with the piano so that they blend very well together. The piano is never dominated by the orchestra, yet the orchestral part isn't bland, since sometimes individual sections carry the melody, passing it between the piano and orchestra.
The first movement is divided into these two YouTube videos and is played by pianist Maurizio Pollini (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurizio_Pollini) performing with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado:
Schumann Piano Concerto in A Minor (1/4); 1st movement; Abbado & Pollini - YouTube