4th piano concerto (Beethoven)
The piano concerto No. 4 in G major op. 58 is a piano concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven .
Emergence
The 4th piano concerto in G major was written between 1805 and 1806 . It was premiered in Vienna in March 1807 at a semi-private concert in the Lobkowitz Palace and on December 22, 1808 with Beethoven as a soloist at the Theater an der Wien . The piano concert was on the program of an academy that day, at which the 5th symphony , the 6th symphony , parts of the mass in C major, op. 86 and the choral fantasy were premiered. Beethoven dedicated his op. 58 to Archduke Rudolph .
With the 5th Piano Concerto in E flat major , this work represents Beethoven's most important contribution to the genre of the piano concerto. In this work, Beethoven established new ideal and artistic qualities. The fusion of symphony and piano concerto into the so-called symphonic piano concerto , which is so often discussed in musicology, begins here. The symphonic composer Beethoven extends the previously differentiated form of the solo concert to include the symphonic aspect. For the first time in Beethoven's solo concerts, the three contrasting movements also form a single unit in terms of content. Lyrical and idyllic thoughts are in the foreground of the work.
To the music
1st movement: Allegro moderato
At the beginning of the movement, Beethoven puts a theme of delicate and lyrical beauty. With soft G major chords of the sentence is piano -Volume opened by the piano. This Allegro introduces itself with a melodic theme, which is at the same time a kind of rhythmic framework for the rest of the movement. The quietly trembling chords played in eighth notes put a motto in front of the movement. After this introduction, the orchestra begins the exposition . The theme is taken to B major, further developed and modulated back into the starting key of G major. Only then does the solo instrument start again. The following second theme appears mysterious and has a floating character. First the theme is presented in A minor, but then sounds victoriously enhanced in C major. It is only in connection with the main theme, which is pushing forward, that the full power of this second theme is revealed triumphantly. In the following, a virtuoso dialogue develops between the orchestra and the soloist. Various small, new topics develop here. A double-beat melody in the treble of the piano takes center stage. This B flat major theme, decorated with trills, appears more frequently throughout the movement. In the triumphant interplay of the pianist with the orchestra, the soloist has to master expressive figures, dazzling trills, huge chords and chromatic runs. Beethoven offers two cadences to choose from for this concert . The cadenza preferred by Beethoven is more thematic and develops its virtuosity through to the end. The second cadenza, called the “triplet cadenza”, is preferred , for example, by the important Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini . The pianist is free to choose which of the two cadences to choose.
The cadenza is followed by a final lyrical section with a quote from the main theme, before the powerful movement is brought to a brilliant conclusion by the orchestra.
2nd movement: Andante con moto
The choice of the parallel minor key of E minor illustrates the close thematic integration of the second movement into the overall structure. According to statements by friends of Beethoven, the sentence was inspired by the Orpheus legend. The singer of love there defeats the dark forces of the underworld. This conflict is represented by Beethoven through the two principles with which he describes the dialectic of his work. A dark, march-like unison theme is introduced by the orchestra. It is answered by an intimate legato theme of the piano. The result is a dialogue in the course of which both sides present eleven increasingly short arguments. There is a countermovement between both issues. As the orchestra becomes quieter and shorter in its statements, the piano theme is gaining in self-confidence. The seemingly indomitable motif of the powers of darkness loses the fight against the singer of love. A piano storm that breaks out in elementary terms ends the more timid, gloomy strings' motif and seals the victory of the love theme.
3rd movement: Rondo vivace
The rondo that closes the concerto in the basic key of G major is cheerful. First, the main dance theme in the subdominant C major slowly feels its way forward. However, this timidity is short-lived. The solo piano now presents the theme in all its cheerfulness and the D major intermediate theme can then fully unfold. It is supported and developed by a contrapuntal opposing voice. After running through the various parts of the sentence (see Rondo ), this sentence also ends with a cadence. This consists of improvisations that Beethoven wrote down. After a final modification of the rondo theme , the movement ends with a Beethoven- typical , brilliant Presto stretta .
The concert in the complete works of Beethoven
The G major concerto, like its later E flat major concerto, builds bridges to the subsequent epoch of Romanticism . The concert was written in the same time as the 5th and 6th symphonies, the “sisterly” violin concerto op. 61, the piano sonata No. 21 , the piano sonata No. 23 and the Rasumowsky quartets. Robert Schumann saw it as “Beethoven's perhaps greatest piano concerto”. For Yevgeny Igorevich Kissin , it's the most beautiful.
Great pianists wrote great cadenzas for this great work , including Eugen d'Albert , Wilhelm Backhaus , Johannes Brahms , Leopold Godowsky , Wilhelm Kempff , Nicolai Medtner , Carl Reinecke and Camille Saint-Saëns .
“Not a day goes by that I don't even try to play the beginning of the G major piano concerto. And actually I've never been completely satisfied with it. "
Web links
- 4th Piano Concerto : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Martin Hufner: Episode and Infinity (drmk)