Beethoven- Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, op. 73 Part II
We continue our discussion of Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto with movements II and III.
- Allegro
- Adagio un poco mosso
- Rondo- Allegro
II. Adagio un poco mosso
The second movement provides a break from the intellectual first movement.
The (only) theme is quiet but very lyric and exudes a calm mood. The first phrase is sustained in the high strings with accompanying pizzicato notes in the low strings. The first phrase gently ascends before returning to its initial note. The second phrase has a jump followed by a gentle ascent (0:27)*, while the third phrase is built off of a rising 3-note motive that gradually covers a greater interval between its notes.
The piano enters at 1:38 with two long descents. The piano continues to play the theme and incorporates flourish motives from the first movement before 3-note ascents in the strings beginning at 2:49 are followed by two leaps/descents in the piano. A series of piano chords rise and fall (3:48) before a series of piano trills gradually rise with alternating chords in the piano and strings. The piano descends before playing another variation of the theme (4:37). This version is very recognizable and only has a few decorations tacked on. Despite the relative lack of flair or virtuosity, the movement is still compelling to listen to, we’re never left with the sense that the music is static or unchanging.
The winds begin the theme with piano accompaniment at 6:02 while the low strings play the bass line. The winds and piano begin a long descent around 7:15, which eventually resolves to a single B at 7:55, which shifts downward by half a step very suddenly. A pizz in the strings is followed by the piano playing what will become the main theme of the third movement very softly- as if it is timid and afraid to move on to the third movement. These reservations don’t last long, as the second and third movements are played without pause.
III. Rondo- Allegro
The final movement is in a hybrid form- it has the general outline of sonata form with an exposition, development, recapitulation, and coda, but keeps returning to the first theme presented like in a rondo.
Theme one is stated immediately in the piano. It is composed of a rising arpeggio followed by a chromatic descent, with each phrase played twice in a row. The orchestra repeats theme one. At 0:49 the orchestra plays the coda, composed of what I’ll call the “fanfare” motive- a dotted figure followed by eighth notes. A series of rapid piano scales bring us to theme two (1:05) which contains many different elements already introduced in the concerto- the flourish motive from the first motive, the 3-note rising motive from the second movement, and the theme of the third movement. Theme one returns in the piano at 2:04 after a series of rising and falling scales. Fanfare motives in the strings underneath piano scales sequence upwards before the piano plays a series of rapid arpeggios (2:54) that decrescendo and slow down. This begins the development.
The development begins at 3:06 with a rendition of theme one in the piano. Unlike developments in sonata movements, there really isn’t any tension created here by shifting harmonies or interweaving themes. The next two sections of the development shift keys, but they are self-contained units in themselves and while they do not have insignificant variation between them, it’s really not anything new. After the third cadence the development does begin to exhibit some more “traditional” qualities. At 4:37 the piano enters with a fast, heavy-sounding series of arpeggios played underneath fanfare motives in the strings and winds. The piano descends into trills before the orchestra plays fragments of theme one. The piano then returns to theme one (5:26), signalling the end of the development.
The recapitulation repeats the themes as we expect it to with minimal deviation from their first presentation in the exposition. At 7:33 theme one returns as a dialogue between the piano and the orchestra- they alternate sections before the entire orchestra plays in tutti. Contrast this to the first movement when the orchestra and piano couldn’t get out of each other’s way. Piano scales and the timpani playing the fanfare motive at 0:42 lead to a decrescendo and a ritard before a frantic piano ascent and a brilliant restatement of theme one ends the concerto.
Like so many of Beethoven’s works, the Emperor concerto bridges the gap between eras. It acknowledges the traditional forms and styles of the classical era (if only to mock them) while still managing to include the vast expressive content more common to the romantic era.
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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.
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