Despite its unusual form - a structure with two sections, each comprising two movements that are to be played without interruption - this work from 1875 enjoyed great success from the start. In its balanced proportion of solo part to orchestra, it corresponds almost perfectly to the model of the “symphonic concerto” and numbers among the most popular concerti by this French composer.

For the first edition of 1877, no less a figure than Gabriel Fauré undertook the piano transcription of the o...