Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3, H 316 is a twentieth-century concerto, composed by Bohuslav Martinů during his stay in America, that uses form’s earlier incarnations – a strong, delightful virtuosic tour de force. His friend Rudolf Firkušný had asked Martinů for a concerto in 1945, but it was not until 1947 that the composer set to work on this Piano Concerto No. 3, which was completed on 10th March, 1948. Rudolf Firkušný gave the first performance to this composition in Dallas, Texas, on 20th November 1949, with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Walter Hendl. The work harks back to classical-romantic concertos, invoking Beethoven and Brahms in particular, with certain passages exhibiting a characteristic Martinů twinge.
Mark Gresham, Cary Lewis, Martinů: Piano Concertos 1, Naxos 2010.