Piano Concerto No. 2 (Beethoven)
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The Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19, by Ludwig van Beethoven was composed primarily between 1787 and 1789, although it did not attain final form till 1798. It was used by the composer as a vehicle for his own performances as a young virtuoso, initially intended with the Bonn Hofkapelle. It was published in 1801, by which time he had also published the Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, although it had been composed after this work.[1]
The B-flat major Piano Concerto became an important display piece for the young Beethoven as he sought to establish himself after moving from Bonn to Vienna. He was the soloist at its premiere on March 29, 1795, at Vienna's Burgtheater in a concert marking his public debut.[1] (Prior to that, he had performed only in the private salons of the Viennese nobility.) While the work as a whole is very much in the concerto style of Mozart, there is a sense of drama and contrast that would be present in many of Beethoven's later works.[1] Beethoven himself apparently did not rate this work particularly highly, remarking to the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister that it was "not one of my best".[2]
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[edit] Movements
The work is scored for solo piano, flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns and strings.[3] The concerto is in three movements:
The first movement begins with a triumphant orchestral opening on the tonic chord, and maintains a playfulness while using chromatic passages to show off the soloist's dizzying technique. The second movement is characteristically serene and peaceful, while the closing Rondo brings back the youth-filled playfulness heard in the opening movement.
This piece was published around the same time as his Sonata No. 11, Op. 22, which Beethoven considered to be one of his better works.
[edit] I. Allegro con brio
This movement is in the concerto variant of sonata form. The orchestra introduces the main theme and the subordinate theme in its exposition. The second exposition is in F major. The development wanders in key and ends on a long B-flat major scale. The recapitulation is similar to the exposition and is in B-flat major.
There is a rather difficult cadenza composed by Beethoven himself, albeit much later than the concerto itself. Stylistically, the cadenza is very different from the concerto, but it makes good use of the first opening theme. Beethoven applies this melody to the cadenza in several different ways, changing its character each time and displaying the innumerable ways that a musical theme can be used and felt.
Average performances last from thirteen to fourteen minutes.
[edit] II. Adagio
This movement is in E-flat major, the subdominant key. Like many slow movements, it has ABA (ternary) form, where the opening section introduces the themes, and the middle section develops them.
Average performances last from eight to nine minutes.
[edit] III. Rondo—Molto allegro
This movement takes the form of a Third Rondo (ABACABA). Beethoven's playfulness of his early period can be heard here. There is a constant angular feel within the 6/8 melody itself that Beethoven plays on with each return of the rondo theme. The C section is also highly contrasting with the others, being that it is in a minor key and more forceful and stern in meaning.
Average performances last from five to six minutes.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Lockwood, Lewis (2005). Beethoven: The Music and the Life. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 94, 144, 174-5, 553. ISBN 0-393-05081-5.
- ^ Sullivan, Todd E. (2003). The Five Piano Concertos. Ravinia Festival. Retrieved on 2008-04-12.
- ^ Beethoven, L. V. (1983). Complete piano concertos: in full score. New York: Dover Publications, 77-126. ISBN 0-486-24563-2.
[edit] External links
- Piano Concerto No. 2 sheet music available at Musopen.com
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