Chopin was born in Poland, the son of a French émigré father and Polish mother. He was proficient at the piano by age six and was publishing music in his early teens. In 1829 he left Poland for Vienna to begin a performing tour, and eventually settled in Paris in 1831, where he rubbed shoulders with aristocratic society and was readily welcomed into flourishing artistic circles. A shy, quiet person, he made a living as an elite piano teacher of the nobility. In fact, after 1835 he no longer gave public performances; instead, he preferred intimate performances with audiences comprised mainly of friends and supporters. He suffered from ill health for much of his life, eventually dying of tuberculosis before the age of 40.

The Piano Concerto No. 1 is actually the second piano concerto he wrote; it just happened to be published first. Chopin himself was concerned with his ability to perform it well enough, as the piece pushed the limits of his own imagination. Written in 1830 when he was just 20 years old, he managed to overcome his insecurities to perform it at a private premier in Warsaw later that year. The concerto epitomizes many characteristics that are indicative of Chopin's unique style. In many ways the concerto is Classic in nature, with its non-programmatic three movement plan which utilizes Classic forms such as Sonata form in the first movement and Rondo in the last movement. His floridly lyric melodic lines sweep gracefully over the left hand accompaniment, reminiscent of Mozart. But the melancholy sentiment that nearly always imbues his music coupled with the ability to make this relatively new instrument sing in ways unheard up to this point make it innovative and very Romantic in nature. As is also typical with Chopin, his Polish heritage is evident—most notably in the last movement, which includes syncopated dance rhythms called krakowiak, from a duple-metered popular dance originating in Krakow, Poland.

There has been a fascination with the near and far east ever since early explorations brought back exotic goods and spices to western Europe. Due to its geographical proximity, Russia has been particularly fascinated with oriental culture, reflecting much in their arts, music, and architecture. Alexander Borodin, a member of the mighty “Russian Five,” was a part time composer but full-time chemist. Music for him was a life-long obsession that was only slightly eclipsed by his love for the sciences. On the Steppes of Central Asia, written in 1880, is his shortest orchestral work and was considered by many contemporaries to be his greatest. The piece features two main melodic ideas; one melody sounds very Russian and the other captures the mystery of the Orient, played by the English Horn. The two themes work together in counterpoint, combining climactically towards the end of the piece.

British romantic Edward Elgar stated “…I know there are a lot of people who like to celebrate events with music: to those people I have given tunes.” And indeed, Elgar's “Pomp & Circumstance,” a set of five military marches, have such a regal flair and are so ceremonial in nature it is easy to imagine them as soundtracks to momentous events. The very title, “pomp & circumstance,” is a quote from Shakespeare's Othello which reads, “Pride, pomp, & circumstance of glorious war.” The turn of the century was the height of British Imperialism, and these marches were a reflection of British military might and grandeur. Like the very popular March No. 1, which is used at graduation ceremonies across the country, Elgar begins March No. 4 with an energetic, jaunty march followed by an expansive melody that is at once both memorable and cinematic in scope. March No. 4 was first premiered in 1907 at the Queen's Hall, with the distinguished Elgar himself conducting.

“God, love, motherland.” That was Dvorak's motto. And although Dvorak was never a political revolutionary, he was highly conscious of his national identity, and thoroughly opposed to the "Germanization" of Bohemians. In music he was not a revolutionary either; he respected Classic forms and his music has an unabashed openness only attained by the assimilation of folk elements. Even though he does not overtly quote folk tune, he reflects folk culture through his catchy melodies, syncopated dance-like rhythms, and unexpected exotic harmonies. His Slavonic Dances are the quintessential example of his Nationalist style, and have remained immensely popular through the years. This particular dance is based on a “Furiant,” a rapid and fiery Bohmenian dance that vacillates between duple and triple time, with frequent syncopated accents.

Camille Saint-Saëns was an all-around Renaissance man. He played the piano and organ, was an excellent writer, loved to travel and learn of new places, and of course, compose. As a composer he was versatile and prolific, often compared to Mozart due to his level of natural ability. The “Danse Bacchanale”, from the opera Samson and Delilah, portrays the finale dance before the fatal end of the opera, where Samson receives a parting gift of strength and brings the temple down upon the Philistines. A “Bacchanale” is a dramatic musical composition associated with drunken revelry and the Roman holiday celebrating Bacchus. As a traveling man, Saint-Saëns was able to absorb exotic musical sounds and in this piece he incorporated foreign scales and percussion into the musical fabric to truly capture what he imagined was an authentic biblical sound.

Rachmaninoff is mostly remembered today as a composer, but during his life he was equally known as a master pianist and conductor. Dubbed a “six and a half-foot scowl” by fellow composer Igor Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff's austere performance mannerisms did not seem to match his sumptuous compositions. His pianistic abilities are legendary: he could hear and play anything, and mastered new pieces in extraordinarily short amounts of time. It is not surprising then that some of his most significant works are for piano. His Piano Concerto No. 2 was written after a particularly difficult time. He had completed a British tour where his music had been scornfully received. Depressed and wondering if he would ever be able to compose again, he turned to a hypnotherapist and music lover, Dr. Nikolas Dahl. Sessions with Dahl boosted his confidence, and during the summer and fall of 1900 he finally composed two movements of a second piano concerto. The public reception of the incomplete concerto was so enthusiastic that Rachmaninoff responded by completing the first movement. The Piano Concerto No. 2, with its lush harmonies and passionate melodies, is a culminating piece of his mature, individualistic style, and is dedicated to his friend and one-time savior Dr. Nikolas Dahl.