Privately, Medtner said that the first movement was inspired by Mikhail Lermontov's ballad Rusalka, about a water-nymph whose seductive advances fail to arouse a sleeping knight. He extended Lermontov's poem for the remaining movements: The knight (personifying the human spirit) awakens and sings a song that turns into a hymn, symbolizing his triumph over temptation and his achievement of redemption and eternal life.
| Date of composition | 1943 (1940-1943) in London, United Kingdom |
| Premiered | 1944, February 19th (Royal Albert Hall) in London, United Kingdom by Nikolai Medtner |
| First published | 1951 |
| Dedicated to | Dedicated to Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur, the Maharajah of Mysore, an Indian prince who had supported Medtner and founded the Medtner Society |
| Type | Concerto |
| Catalogue | Op. 60 |
| Approx. duration | 36 minutes |
| Instruments |
Orchestra
Piano |
| Autotranslations beta |
Nikolaï Medtner: Concerto pour piano n°3, Op. 60 "Ballade" Nikolaj Karlovič Metner: Concerto per pianoforte n. 3, Op. 60 "Ballade" Nikolai Karlowitsch Medtner: Konzert Nr. 3 für Klavier, Op. 60 "Ballade" |