Beethoven- Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73 Part I
Revolutionary when it was premiered, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, op. 73 remains a fascinating study to this day. The traditional struggle between themes is almost absent, replaced by a battle between two musical entities- the piano and the orchestra- the opening blows of which start seconds after the concerto begins. Unlike traditional concertos of the time and even the concertos composed after Beethoven, the cadenza- traditionally the soloists’ time in the spotlight- is not only set in stone by Beethoven’s pen but also is humiliatingly short. Beethoven has literally squeezed everything he can out of the drama that plays out in the course of the concerto that an extended cadenza would be frivolous.
Beethoven’s last Piano Concerto, it was finished in 1811 and premiered in Liepzig on November 28th of the same year. “Emperor” was not a name given by Beethoven, as his dislike of emperors was clearly evident in his rededication of the Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major from Napoleon to “A great man.”
- Allegro
- Adagio un poco mosso
- Rondo- Allegro
I. Allegro
Double exposition form.
The concerto begins with a tutti chord in the orchestra. The piano, eager to prove that it is equal to the orchestra, enters almost immediately with ascending/descending arpeggios connected with trills. In the first few seconds the tone of the entire movement is set- it will be a competition between the orchestra, powerful and proven, and the piano- a newcomer who needs to show that it should be taken seriously as well. Two more tutti chords and accompanying piano interludes finish the introduction.
The exposition begins at 1:07 with the orchestra playing a broad, imposing theme over aggressively playing strings that is composed of three motives. The first is the little flourish that occurs after the first note. The second is the triadic 4-note descent that immediately follows the flourish. The third is the dotted rhythm at the end of the phrase, which I’ll call the “imperial” motive. These motives are literally found everywhere in the movement.
After the initial statement of the theme by the entire orchestra, it is repeated two times. The first repetition (1:18) begins softly in the winds, but the orchestra re-enters on the imperial motive at the end of the phrase. The second repetition is composed almost entirely of the triadic 4-note descents all over the orchestra. These repetitions are very significant- Beethoven has been kind enough to let us know what the motives are, and in repeating them with emphasis in different statements of the theme he’s highlighting them to tell us that they’re important. It’s like he’s tacked a big “Look at me!” sign on each of the motives.
After a brief modulating bridge, the strings begin theme two (2:03)- a much more mysterious theme that seems to creep along the edges of the bright and powerful theme one. The theme is played with staccato strings and accompanied by two-note figures in the horns and winds. The suspicion vanishes soon after as the horns repeat theme two in Major (2:18). At 2:40 we hear the flourish motive in the strings (the end of theme two), but unexpectedly this brings us to the cadence that begins with a brief restatement of theme one! Flourish motives in the strings are followed by four note descents in the winds (3:18). Tutti four-note descents and imperial motives in the low voices and timpani finally bring us to the main cadence theme at 3:54. The cadence theme ends with imperial motives in the winds before a rising piano scale (early!) followed by a trill leads to the beginning of the second exposition.
In the second exposition the soloist usually replays the theme fairly faithful to the initial statement by the orchestra back in the first exposition. Does this happen here? Absolutely not. The piano plays what can almost be considered a variation on theme one- the motives are present, but are heavily embellished and barely recognizable to the ear. As if to correct the wayward piano, the orchestra doesn’t even let it finish the theme! At 4:45 they interrupt with 4-note descents to show the piano the way. It kind of works, as the piano plays to the orchestra’s example in a way that is at least recognizable. The piano’s modulating bridge leads to its version of theme two (5:33)- not at all like the concise, staccato version put forth by the strings in the first exposition. The switch to major to parallel the horns’ second statement of theme two occurs with minimal hesitation by the piano, but again the theme barely resembles the earlier version. The piano’s disobedience has again frustrated the orchestra, who enters with an almost march-like rendition of theme two at 6:01.
Following the march passage from the orchestra the piano launches into a pseudo-cadenza, the first time it has been allowed to play relatively unfettered. A series of arpeggios is followed by a passage based on the flourish motive (6:41). More ascending and descending scales with wind accompaniment are followed by a series of 4-note descents beginning at 7:16 in the piano and winds. More scales precede the cadence version of theme one (7:47) and the cadence theme. The second exposition ends quietly with soft wind chords and a piano trill at 9:03.
The development begins innocuously with piano arpeggios and trills, much like the introduction. Various combinations of wind instruments play a minor version of theme one based on the flourish motive (9:29). At 9:58 the music takes a darker turn, as angry arpeggios in the piano are played against growing imperial motives in the low strings that turn into harsh sounding tuttis at 10:10. The piano responds in turn with fortissimo imperial motives of its own- it is standing up for itself and declaring outright that it deserves respect. A tumultuous passage follows consisting of descending and ascending scales in both the orchestra and the piano that are played in opposition of each other- as the piano falls, the orchestra rises. This is clearly the “fight” between the orchestra and the piano. The music begins to descrescendo and slow down. At 10:59 the cadence theme appears in the piano. Hesitant low strings and a slight pause lead to the winds and piano playing the cadence theme together! Finally they’ve learned to coexist. Quiet flourish motives in the strings (11:58) soon crescendo back into the recapitulation (12:14).
The recapitulation does not merely restate theme one, it also restates the introduction where we first experienced the upstart piano against the orchestra. This time, the piano interludes are not meek and gentle- they are strong and seemingly with newfound purpose. Theme one begins after a tremendous piano run at 12:47, and is followed by the piano. The modulating bridge leads to the piano statement of minor section theme two (14:00) as well as the major section (14:19). The orchestra again interjects with the march version of theme one before a series of arpeggiated ascents by the piano (14:49) lead to another almost developmental section based off of the flourished motive (15:05). Four-note descents at 15:41 precede a piano ascent. The music crescendos back into theme one at 16:22 and soon begins to repeat the imperial motive ending in the cadential chord.
The cadence of this movement is very short. Beginning at 16:43, the piano plays a long ascent based on the flourish motive that descends into a series of trills. The piano plays theme two and is joined by the horn at 17:22. Flourish motives in the strings accompanied by piano descents lead back into theme one in the orchestra (17:48), soon embellished happily by the piano (17:51). This passage is repeated in minor. The cadence theme begins at 18:40 in the winds which the piano soon turns into imperial motives (18:47) that are echoed by the orchestra. The music quiets. A long piano descent (18:49) bottoms out and soon begins to rise again accompanied by imperial motives in the orchestra. The movement ends with orchestral tuttis and piano arpeggios before the final chords.
=*=
If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend George Szell’s 1990 release with the Cleveland Orchestra and Leon Fleisher on Sony. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage.
Technorati Tags: Music 365, orchestra, horn, theme, motive, clarinet, flute, violin, bassoon, timpani, trumpet, trombone, motive, melody, harmony, tremolo, chord, rhythm, sonata, exposition, introduction, recapitulation, coda, cadence, scale, beethoven, concerto, piano, emperor, napoleon, leipzig, E flat major, arpeggio, tonic
