Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Performed by Daniel Ciobanu & the Romanian Youth Orchestra, Directed by Cristian Mandeal

“It featured precision, a love of playing and character.” More:

The Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102 was composed by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) in 1957 for the 19th birthday of his son Maxim. And although his father did not consider the gift a success, it was very well received by the audience from the very beginning and has a firm place in concert programs to this day – which may be due not least to the freshness and freedom that Shostakovich’s second Piano Concerto radiates.

Romanian pianist Daniel Ciobanu plays the pentatonic-rich Shostakovich concerto with effortless precision. Whether in the brisk first movement, the lyrical and pensive second movement, or the dance-like third movement, Ciobanu lends the appropriate character to each musical mood and interplays perfectly with the Romanian Youth Orchestra. And so it is not surprising that at the end there is a storm of applause and shouts of enthusiasm.