Piano Concerto 4 - Beethoven (1770-1827)

Allegro moderato: Andante con moto: Vivace

Opening my miniature score of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto to prepare these notes brought back a flood of memories. It was given to me by one of my teachers when I was still a student at the Guildhall School of Music. Marked with notes and helpful underlinings, it became one of the most treasured possessions in my library of scores. I little dreamt then that I would ever have the opportunity to conduct such inspiring music. As it turns out, this is probably the concerto that I have conducted more than any other!

There is a magic to the opening of this Concerto which I would dearly love to convey to you. This is Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major - the key of G major is of great relevance. All musical keys have other keys which live in a close family relationship - music would be very colourless if composers did not hop around a bit. So, there is a set pattern of relationships expected by the listeners - you don't need to know what these relationships are or even be aware of anything except the music - it will usually sound comfortably familiar. However, enter Beethoven the genius and wonderful things happen. For a start, it is most unusual to begin a concerto with the soloist alone, but, having got over that little surprise, Beethoven throws in an answering phrase from the orchestra which must have been astonishing to the first audiences and still thrills me after all these years! Five bars of a quiet theme from the piano in G major are followed by the orchestra's answer in the wildly unrelated key of B major before the composer steers back into the home key and we are off into the more normal orchestral build-up to the soloist's entry. Beethoven's five Piano Concertos are all great works, full of invention and immensely satisfying but for me, dare I hope for you too, this prelude to the Fourth Concerto is very special.

The extraordinary second movement is a further example of Beethoven's highly personal approach to music. It is a dramatic dialogue between forceful, staccato, unison strings and reflective, singing, soft-pedalled piano. The piano wins the argument resolving the tensions to a long, deeply-felt chord whence springs the joyful, often boisterous, finale.

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