Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 c-Moll op. 37 - 9. Teil

Many of Beehoven’s works were written in the building known as the Pasqualati House, where the composer lived at various times between 1804 and 1815. One of the pieces he wrote there was his Third Piano Concerto, op. 37, in C minor. Beethoven himself was at the piano for the first performance, given at a recital held on 5 April 1803 at the Theater an der Wien.
The excerpt reproduced here includes the final section of the concluding Rondo. Beethoven had to switch the key from C minor to C major at the end of the concerto. This change is highlighted in the dramatic stretta, where the rhythm changes from 2/4 to 6/8 time.

This recording of the concerto was made in 1939, and features the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Karl Böhm. The pianist is Lubka Kolessa (1902–1997), and this performance would turn out to be one of the most significant of her career. After making her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1924, Kolessa gave concerts all over Europe between the wars, performing with some of the most respected orchestras and conductors of the period. Bruno Walter described her as “certainly one of the most outstanding pianists of our time.” In 1928, she made the last ever recordings of classical music for Welte-Mignon reproducing piano. She moved to Britain shortly before the Second World War and later went on to Canada, where she had a successful career as a soloist and music teacher.
(Constanze Köhn)