Three Cadenzas to 1st Movt. of Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15

Beethoven wrote his piano concerto in C major during and soon after he had taken up permanent residence in Vienna. At the time he was already recognised as one of the greatest pianists in Vienna, and he was seeking to advance his reputation by touring throughout Europe.

The concerto was one of a number of works that he wrote for himself, and he gave the first performance in Prague in It was the first of his piano concertos to be published, but the third to be written. He had composed a concerto in Eb major at the age of 13, of which only the piano part has survived, and had completed a version of his second concerto in Bb major as early as The C major concerto, while showing a distinct influence of Mozart and Haydn, particularly in the use of form and instrumentation, contains strikingly original touches of colour and drama, such as off beat sforzandos and unusual shifts of key, which give it a unique Beethovian character.

Beethoven, who was highly self-critical, held the opinion that neither the first nor second piano concerto was among his best compositions. Compared with other works of the same period, such as the six string quartets Op18 and the first symphony, it has attracted little attention from the critics. Nevertheless, the work is one of great poise, elegance and subtlety, and stands high in the canon of his achievement. It represents an important landmark in his development as a composer. It was the longest and grandest work written for orchestra before the first symphony, and in it he explores some new and brilliant orchestral effects, particularly in the string parts.

Compared to contemporary concertos, it is a long work depending on the cadenza it can 40 minutes long. The flute, oboes, trumpets, and timpani are tacet during the second movement. The first movement is in sonata form, but with an added orchestral exposition, a cadenza , and a coda. It has a main theme repeated many times, and there are several subordinate themes. The orchestral exposition changes keys many times, but the second exposition is mainly in G major.

The development starts in E-flat major , then modulates to C minor , which ends with an octave glissando. The recapitulation is in C major. There are three options for the cadenza to this movement, all of which vary in length and difficulty. The coda is played by the orchestra alone. Average performances vary in length from fourteen to eighteen minutes.

The second movement is in the key of A-flat major , in this context a key relatively remote from the concerto's opening key of C major. If the movement adhered to traditional form, its key would be F major , the subdominant key, or in G major , the dominant key. The clarinets are given an unusually prominent role in this movement, having the melody as often as violins. Like many slow movements, this movement is in ternary ABA form.

Its opening A section presents several themes that are then developed in the middle B section.

Glenn Gould plays Beethoven, Vol. Mozart, Schumann, Beethoven, Ravel. The Complete Deutsche Grammophon Recordings. The Complete Philips Recordings.

Editorial Reviews

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Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, op. 15

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• Stormwatch Vol. 2: Enemies of Earth (Stormwatch Vol. III series);
• BEAUTY of music | Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 - American Pianists Association.
• References;
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