Cocktail Party Fact: There’s a really cool transcription, for solo piano, of the first movement of this concerto by the French Romantic composer Alkan. It’s unbelievably difficult, since the soloist plays both the solo and the orchestral parts at the same time. The cadenza (the part near the end of the first movement where the soloist was supposed to improvise for a while on the main tunes) is fully composed, and combines the opening tune of this concerto with the finale of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. If you’re really into this concerto, check it out.

Commitment Factor: About 35 minutes

Vital Statistics: Classical Period (1803). A three-movement work, very unusual in being in a minor key (C-minor, the same as the Fifth Symphony).

What to Listen For: The slow movement, which features some lovely writing for the flute, is particularly famous. The finale had a very strong impact on Brahms’ first piano concerto, while the first movement clearly takes the opening of Mozart’s piano concerto in the same key (No. 24) as its model.