Dedicated to Mademoiselle Louise Steiger. Première performed on April 18, 1888, in Antwerp, with Chaminade as soloist, in a concert organized by the Cercle catholique and conducted by Joseph Moreel.

On January 20, 1889, Chaminade performed her Concertstück at the Concerts Lamoureux in Paris, where it was warmly received. The same year, the work was performed by pianist Louise Steiger, to whom the published score was dedicated. For several years, the Concertstück remained in the concert repertoire, including a performance in a two-piano version on June 23, 1892, at St James’s Hall in London, with Chaminade joined by the British pianist Amina Goodwin. During her American tour in 1908, Chaminade performed the work once again with the Philadelphia Orchestra, then under the direction of Karl Pohlig.

The single-movement work opens with dramatic tremolo strings and a horn theme that hints at Wagner. Chaminade develops four main themes in a distinctly French style, echoing Saint-Saëns and Bizet while exploring subtle “exotic” harmonies. E. & C. 1526.

In the late 19th century, it was common for composers or publishers to issue a reduction of the orchestral part for a second piano, allowing the work to be performed in a two-piano version.

Transcription
Two pianos: by Chaminade, 1888 (E. & C. 1526 (1) and 1526 (2)).