Piano Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 42

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 42, composed 1947. Written late in Dohnányi's career and after the upheavals of World War II — during which the composer faced accusations of collaboration that dogged him into his American years — this concerto represents a continuation of the grand Romantic tradition without significant stylistic shift. The piano writing is brilliant and demanding, the orchestral textures are lush, and the emotional scope encompasses both lyrical introspection and virtuosic display. A substantial addition to the Romantic concerto repertoire that has been somewhat overshadowed by the earlier Op. 5.