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Franck’s Piano Concerto in B minor is an early work written when he was only 13 years old to showcase his piano talents. A fragment of one of his two piano youthful concertos (likely this one) was performed in Paris at 62nd concert of L’Athénée musical on February 23, 1837 featuring the composer as soloist and the orchestra conducted by J.J. Vidal but there doesn’t seem to be any further record of a performance in Franck’s lifetime. In the manuscript the orchestra parts contain very few dynamic markings and almost no articulations. These have been supplied by the editor for balance and style. Franck calls for a pair of horns in D and a second pair in B basso. The first pair (in D) take the upper notes only when all four horns are playing; the second pair (in B basso) play throughout the entire work. The horn parts have therefore been reorganized for the present edition so that Horns 1 & 2 play the orginal D parts when all four horns are playing and take music originally assigned to the B basso parts elsewhere. Since Horns 3 & 4, Trumpets and Trombones seldom play, the editor has provided cues for these sparse parts so that the work can be performed with a smaller orchestra.While the piano solo in the manuscript has been marked with dynamics throughout, there are few articulations. The few that are indicated have been also been applied to parallel passages by the editor. As Franck left phrasing, pedaling, articulations for the soloist to decide (as was the tradition), the editor has not supplied any. Richard W. Sargeant, Jr.’s, newly engraved edition is based directly upon the composer’s manuscript preserved at the French National Library, brings to life an early but impressive work that is undeservedly overlooked and neglected.
