Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 C-Dur op. 15 - 4. Teil

Beethoven's pupil Carl Czerny performed the Piano Concerto op. 15 (which was completed in 1795 and revised by 1801) on 17 July 1806 in the hall at the Augarten, a building that had been used as a concert venue since the 1780s. Although Beethoven had worked on other piano concertos before that date, opus 15 in C major was the first to be published, which is why it carries the title of Piano Concerto No. 1.

This audio sample is taken from the beginning of the second movement, as performed by German pianist Walter Gieseking (1895–1956). He performed all the Beethoven sonatas (except op. 49) over the course of six evening concerts as early as the winter of 1915/16. After 1918 he soon succeeded in building an international career, though his proximity to the Nazi regime meant it was interrupted for a time after 1945. He was acknowledged as one of the most subtle pianists of his era, and as an outstanding performer of Debussy. While some critics feel his nuanced tone is less than ideal for performing Beethoven, it really shines through here. Variations of the song-like theme of the lyrical, tender largo are played alternately by the piano and the orchestra, with the clarinets playing a particularly prominent role. On this 1937 recording, Gieseking is accompanied by the orchestra of the Berlin State Opera, conducted by Hans Rosbaud (1895–1962). Rosbaud was one of the first conductors to make the most of the new technology of radio, and he led a number of radio orchestras during his career.
(Constanze Köhn)