Like Mozart before him, Frédéric Chopin was a composer-pianist who wrote a great deal of music in order to showcase his own talent. While Chopin preferred to perform in intimate salons throughout Paris, he gave a number of public performances with orchestras between 1828 and 1832, during which he wrote and performed his first two piano concertos. The Grand polonaise brilliante in E-flat Major is a result of these years, and the soulful Andante spianato was added as an introduction in 1834 for a performance at the Paris Conservatory. The two works are now performed traditionally back-to-back as a single piece, the Andante a timeless reverie, and the Grande polonaise an exuberant tour-de-force. Those familiar with Chopin will hear his seemingly effortless ability to portray the soloist as an improviser, though we know now that writing down his virtuosic turns at the piano often caused him immense frustration.