Meeting the Emperor in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5
The Best Moments
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73
I'm Ludwig van Beethoven, and here I've gathered the best moments of my Piano Concerto No 5. You'll hear how I wrote out the big cadenza myself instead of leaving it to the soloist, so every note of that moment is just as I imagined it. On this site my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces when you hear them, so give the Trainer a go .
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Knock Knock, Who's There? The Orchestra!
I open this concerto with big orchestral chords, and after each one the piano rushes in with a dazzling flourish, like a friend who just can't wait for his turn to talk. The mood is heroic and a little military, and I made this movement longer than the opening of any of my earlier concertos, so you can tell I had a lot to say.
Please Keep It Down, the House Is Sleeping
I start the slow movement by asking the strings to play with mutes, so the whole orchestra sounds as if it's tiptoeing through a house where everyone has gone to bed. When the piano finally comes in, I marked it "dämmernd", which means crepuscular, a grand word for the soft light of dusk.
No Time to Yawn
I don't give anyone a break after the quiet movement, because the finale follows straight on and the piano bounces in with a lively theme in 6/8. The military rhythms from the first movement return here, so the soldiers have clearly had a good night's sleep.
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I hope you enjoyed learning about the best moments of Piano Concerto No 5 as much as I enjoyed telling you about them. Looking back, what stays with me is how much the piece holds in such a short stretch of time, from the bold opening chords to the hush of the slow movement and the lively rush of the finale. I wrote it in Vienna in 1809, in a city full of noise and worry, and I like to think that some of that restless energy found its way into the music. The piece has been loved for a long time, and Franz Liszt played it throughout his life. Did you notice how the slow movement slips straight into the finale without a pause? It is a small detail, but it is one of my favorite surprises, and it is easy to miss the first time you listen. There is still plenty more to explore in Piano Concerto No 5. You could look into the story behind its famous nickname, which I never chose myself, or into how the first performances were received. You might also enjoy hearing how different pianists shape the same notes in their own way. If you'd like to go further, please click on the links provided and keep exploring Piano Concerto No 5. I'd be glad to have you back for another listen.
Recording: Clifford Curzon, piano, London Philharmonic Orchestra, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/