Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Beethoven 250: Piano Concertos

As I explained in the January 24, 2020 post, I purchased the Naxos collection of Beethoven's complete works, which I plan to listen to this year, leading up to Beethoven's 250th birthday on December 16.

These past few weeks, I’ve been listening to more music! I listened to discs 6-11, listed here as they appear on the set (and listed in order at the Arkiv Music site). I learned the "WoO" means "Werke ohne Opuszahl" ("Works without opus number"), and "Hess" refers to Willy Hess, a Swiss musicologist who compiled a catalogue of Beethoven's works in the 1950s.

Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62 (1807)
Zur Namensfeier Overture, Op. 115 (1814-1815)
Leonore Overture no 1 in C major, Op. 138 (1806-1807)
Leonore Overture no 3 in C major, Op. 72a (1805-1806)
Ritterballet, WoO 1 (Music for a Ballet of the Knights), 1790-1791)

Eleven Viennese Dances , WoO 17, Hess 20 "Mödlinger Tänze" (1819)
Twelve Contradances, WoO 14 (1802)
Twelve German Dances for Orchestra, WoO 8 (1795)
Triumphal March for the tragedy "Tarpeja", WoO 2a, Hess 117(1813)
Introduction to Leonore, Act 2, WoO 2b (1813)

Twelve Minuets for Orchestra, WoO 7 (1795)
Six Minuets for Piano, WoO 10 (1795)
Gratulations-Menuet, WoO 3 (1822)
Wellington's Victory, Op. 91 "Battle Symphony" (1813)

Concerto for Piano no 1 in C major, Op. 15 (1795, rev. 1801)
Rondo for piano in B flat major, WoO 8 (prior to 1793 and completed by Carl Czerny)
Concerto for Piano in E flat major, WoO 4  (1784)

Concerto for Piano no 2 in B flat major, Op. 19  (1793/1798)
Concerto for Piano no 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 "Emperor" (1809)
Romance in E minor for Piano, Flute, Bassoon and Orchestra, Hess 13 (1786-1767)

Concerto for Piano no 3 in C minor, Op. 37 (c 1803)
Concerto for Piano no 4 in G major, Op. 58 (1805-1806)
Concert Finale for Piano in C major, Hess 65 (c 1809)

I admit that I daydreamed through the discs of overtures, dances, and incidental music in order to get to the piano concertos, which I want to play again soon. I really knew only #4 the best, because as a kid I had the 1963 Van Cliburn recording with Fritz Reiner, which my folks bought me because of my enjoyment of Schroeder and "Peanuts." I've heard #5 on the radio, though, numerous times.


No comments:

Post a Comment