Beethoven: The Forgotten Concerto for Pianoforte, Op. 61a

Featuring

Anders Muskens
Rachael Beesley
Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Interpretation

This recording uses flexible tempi, guided by the musicians' sensibilities, rather than a conductor or metronomic markings, allowing for organic expressivity.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven's cadenza for the first movement of the piano transcription is a 'tour de force' that uniquely combines the solo piano with an obbligato timpani, developing the famous drumbeat opening.

Critical Reception

The original Violin Concerto, Op. 61, received a mixed and generally lukewarm reception at its 1806 premiere, with critics noting 'endless repetitions of a few commonplace passages'.

Performer Biography

Anders Muskens, the fortepiano soloist, is a Canadian early keyboard specialist and music scholar, currently a doctoral candidate researching the connection between rhetorical acting and music.

Composition History

Beethoven's Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 61a, is a transcription of his famous Violin Concerto, created at the request of pianist Muzio Clementi.

Instruments

The recording features an original John Broadwood & Sons grand pianoforte from 1806, an original Franz Geissenhof violin from 1811, and original Schraubenpauken (timpani) from around 1780.

Notable Performances

The Violin Concerto, Op. 61, only became a concert hall mainstay after a landmark performance in 1844 by 12-year-old violin prodigy Joseph Joachim, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn.