Just let yourself imagine two opposing forces in Vienna, Austria in the early 1800’s:
On one hand you have young Beethoven, wanting to get the attention and approval of the public at the music capital of the world. On the other hand you have the conservative Viennese folks with their love of Haydn, Mozart, and Bach. The public is used to hear music that is presented with some sort of musical introduction before the soloist joins in…
In this composition, however, Beethoven offers a new format for his concerto: The piano starts things off without an introduction! I can just imagine two musical listeners at a concert hall who lean toward one another while one or both exclaim: “Ein Skandal…”
Now the real facts from the past:
Beethoven composed Piano Concerto No. 4 in 1805-1806; it was first performed in March 1807 in a private concert at the home of his friend, Prince Lobkowitz. The public premiere was on December 22, 1808, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna with Beethoven the piano soloist in both concerts.
Here’s your opportunity to listen to this amazing, innovative music:
