Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58, with Pasadena Community Orchestra 3/10/13

March 10, 2013

I will be performing this beautiful concerto with Pasadena Community Orchestra on Friday March 15 at 8pm. The venue will be at First Church of the Nazarene, 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107. (www.pcomusic.org)

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, was premiered in March of 1807 at a private concert of the home of Prince Franz von Lobkowitz, then the public premiere was on 22 December of 1808 in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien. Beethoven took the stage as soloist for both occasions, and it became his last appearance as a soloist with orchestra. The concert was marathon including Choral Fantasy (I will perform this piece with Choral Bel Canto on Saturday June 1st at 4pm at First United Methodist Church of Pasadena. www.fumcpasadena.org or www.choralbelcanto.org), 5th and 6th symphonies, some smaller scale pieces, and this concerto. It was about 3-4 hours long, and the venue was not heated (December in Vienna…). Unfortunately the rehearsal was not efficient. So the audience was not super enthusiastic even though a review in May 1809 edition of the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung stated that “this concerto is the most admirable, singular, artistic and complex Beethoven concerto ever”. The piece was neglected until 1846 when it was revived by Mendelssohn. Beethoven dedicated the concerto to his friend, student, and patron, the Archduke Rudolph. Now the work is widely performed and recorded, and is considered to be one of the central works of the piano concerto literature.

I have been having a fantastic time learning/practicing/studying this piece. It is tender, sensitive, beautiful, free, expressive, yet powerful. Our orchestra rehearsals have been going wonderfully. I am very excited to perform this Friday! I hope you can join me.