Composer Amy Beach once remarked that a piece of music could be “a veritable autobiography” for a composer, and this is certainly the case with her Piano Concerto in c-sharp minor. This could partially be because the work quotes several art songs from earlier in Beach’s career. However, the composer also ended up being pitted against the orchestra, having served as the premiere pianist, which could have been a bit of an analogy for her somewhat-difficult private life at the time. Hear it tonight at 7, our Evening Masterwork on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9.
Evening Masterwork: Beach’s Piano Concerto in c-sharp minor
