piano assumes an accompanying role and the strings commence a new melody in D major. The B section ends with another virtuosic solo piano passage, leading into the return of the A section. In the return, the piano makes the first, now ornamented, statement of the theme. The oboe continues the theme, this time resolving it to the tonic (D major) and setting up a brief coda which finishes on another plagal cadence. III. Allegro con fuoco – Molto meno mosso – Allegro vivo The final movement, in rondo form, starts with a very brief introduction. The A theme, in B minor, is march-like and upbeat. This melody is played by the piano until the orchestra plays a variation of it . The B theme, in D major, is more lyrical and the melody is first played by the violins, and by the piano second. A set of descending scales leads to the abridged version of the A theme. The C theme is heard afterward, modulating through various keys, containing dotted rhythm, and a piano solo leads to: The later measures of the A section are heard, and then the B appears, this time in E♭ major. Another set of descending scales leads to the A once more. This time, it ends with a half cadence on a secondary dominant, in which the coda starts. An urgent buildup leads to a sudden crash with F major octaves as a transition point to the last B♭ major melody played along with the orchestra, and it fuses into a dramatic and extended climactic episode, gradually building to a dominant prolongation. Then the melodies from the B theme are heard in B major. After that, the final part of the coda, marked allegro vivo, draws the work to a conclusion on a perfect authentic cadence. Notable performances On March 22 [O.S. March 1], 1878, Nikolai Rubenstein, who had initially rejected the piece before coming to see its value, finally performed the concerto as the pianist in Moscow, with Eduard Langer conducting. Rubenstein subsequently played the piece in two more cities that same year: in Palais du Trocadéro (Paris), with Édouard Colonne conducting, and in St. Petersburg. Theodore Thomas programmed the concerto for the first concerts of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, given on 16 and 17 October 1891. Rafael Joseffy was the soloist. Joseffy had previously performed the piece in January 1888 at the