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Program Notes | Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 5

Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 5
By Laurie Shulman ©2022

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15

Beethoven’s First Concerto reminds us that he was a brilliant pianist. The outer movements have a marvelous sense of humor, particularly the finale. The slow movement’s dignity and introspection look forward to the depth of Beethoven’s late string quartets. And C major, the Viennese key of sunlight, rarely sounds so affirming as it does in this concerto.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, “Emperor”

Emperor. The very word conjures up magnificence, pomp, ceremony, power, nobility, majesty. All these qualities are present in Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto. His works in E-flat major, including this concerto and the “Eroica” Symphony, are generally characterized by nobility of spirit and grandeur, the stuff of which heroes are made. And the solo part is dazzling!

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