- Beethoven worked on this concerto between 1804-1806. He gave the premiere in March of 1807 at the palace of one of his patrons, Prince Lobkowitz.
- Beethoven dedicated this concerto to another important patron and friend, Archduke Rudolph of Austria (of “Archduke” Trio fame).
- Beethoven gave this concerto’s first Viennese performance at the 1808 4-hour monster concert which featured the premier of his 5th Symphony, 6th Symphony, and Choral Fantasy.1
- Read more here about this exhausting historic event, which caused one audience member to observe that he “experienced the truth that one can easily have too much of a good thing.”
- This performance was Beethoven’s last appearance as a concerto soloist, due to his deteriorating hearing.2
Sources
- Douglas Johnson et al, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press, 2001), accessed January 13, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
- Michael Steinberg, The Concerto: A Listener’s Guide(UK: Oxford University Press, 2000), 64.
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