The Piano Concertos of Beethoven

Note: you’ll find a ‘youtube’ link below every piano concerto discussed. However, there are myriads of performances/artists playing these 5 concertos in 'youtube' for you to explore and enjoy...

The Piano Concertos of Beethoven - Beethoven holds a unique position as one of music’s greatest geniuses - some have gone as far as to call him the greatest musical genius of all times. With that said, in viewing him closer on a mortal level, he was just another typical musician of his day trying to make ends meet, much like his contemporaries (e.g., Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Carl Maria von Weber and Muzio Clementi, etc..)

Beethoven, like the above aforementioned musicians in the first paragraph, was an exceptional performer - he was a great pianist and an above par conductor, so it should comes to no surprise that he’d write piano music for the purpose of showing off his virtuosic prowess...

Beethoven wrote five piano concertos. Beethoven's last two piano concertos are arguably the reason many have referred to him as the greatest musical genius of all times; the first three concertos could have arguably been written by an above average composer of his day, although the third concerto does contain excellent musical development (classical music is unique because it contains development, which is something that so called popular/strophic music typically does not …)

Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major op. 15 - composed 1796 and 1797

This is not the first piano concerto Beethoven wrote, but it's the first he published... Beethoven is not the first composer to have published compositions in the reverse chronological order in which he wrote them, Mendelssohn and Chopin published some of their works in reverse chronological order as well. (e.g., Mendelssohn's 5th Symphony 'Reformation', was written before his 3rd Symphony 'Scottish', but most people don't know this...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFfUcQQbwsE

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major op. 19 - composed 1787 and 1789

This is actually Beethoven's first piano concerto, but it was published as his second concerti. I already explained this in my review of his first piano concerto. Beethoven was 17 years old when he began composing this piano concerto in 1787. The work is not Beethoven at his best, especially when you take into consideration the compositions which Mendelssohn and Mozart were writing at around the same age Beethoven was when he started to write this concerti...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz1m5Y96IBU

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor op. 37 - composed in 1800

Beethoven has been credited with having been the first composer to have truly developed the minor key. The first movement of this work is very long in duration and shows exceptional development of the work's main themes...it's Beethoven's most famous piano concerto after the No. 5, and gets performed quite frequently these days, especially by young concert pianists who are starting to make their way into the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FetACZlj0_0

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major op. 58 - composed 1805 and 1806

This work is a true marvel of composition, especially the slow movement (second movement). No one can do a slow movement like Beethoven, and this is proof of that. The slow section of this piano concerto is one of the most futuristic movements Beethoven composed, even if it's not as pleasant to listen to as the slow movement of the Emperor Concerto. (5th Piano Concerto)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cPTURzDAyY&feature=related

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat op. 73 "Emperor" composed 1809 and 1811

This slow section (2nd movement) of this work is one of the most beautiful compositions Beethoven or anyone has ever written - his most famous Piano Concerto by far.... A must hear for beginners to the world so called 'classical music'. (early Romantic actually)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5C7dtuikFE