Petals of Beauty

The American premiere of the MacDowell Piano Concerto No. 2 took place in New York on March 5, 1889, with the composer as the soloist. The same concert also included the American premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The New York Tribune wrote, “It is a splendid composition, so full of poetry, so full of vigor…” In Europe, however, critics complained that the work was, “too Lisztian.” Liszt had been the composer’s friend and a strong promoter...