Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Hannes Minnaar
Orchestra: The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Jan Willem de Vriend
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Challenge
Size: 3.35 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Piano Concerto no. 4 op. 58 in G major (1807)
01. Allegro moderato
02. Andante con moto
03. Rondo. Vivace
Piano Concerto no. 5 op. 73 in E flat major (‘Emperor’) (1809)
04. Allegro
05. Adagio un poco mosso
06. Rondo. Allegro
Towards the end of the 19th century, the concerto genre had reached a flourishing stage after Mozart had thoroughly contributed to the foundation of the genre. In the first concerts, as well as in the other genres (symphonies, sonatas, quartets) Mozart’ and Haydn’s influence is evident. The characteristics of Beethoven’s sensibility were to become evident starting with his third piano concerto. In the following concerts a new relation is established between the piano as unaccompanied instrument and the orchestra that covers a greater role, not being reduced to the simple function of accompanying the soloist.
At the age of 14, in 1784, Beethoven tries to write a piano concerto in E flat major, of which only the piano part was kept. In 1790 he tries to compose a new concerto, this time in D major, of which only the first part remained. The first instrumental concerto composition was made in 1795 when he wrote The piano concerto in B flat major op. 19, about the same time he composed The piano concerto in C major op. 15 and The rondo for piano and orchestra.