MVT I, Allegro con brio Exposition I 00:00 - Theme 1. Opens with two motifs: a march-like dotted descending arpeggio (m.march), followed by a short lyrical phrase (m.lyr). At 0:15, a motif comprising 3 repeated notes following by an upwards slur enters (m.repeat), and at 0:42, a chromatic staggered descent (m.chr). After a shift to Db, there enters 1:11 - Theme 1*. This sounds like a typical second theme, but is really a variant of (m.lyr). Theme 1 proper returns at 1:45. Exposition II 02:32 - The piano enters with a short 5-note descending melodic fragment in the upper registers (m.frag). The phrases which immediately follow borrow (m.lyr)’s rhythm. The scale at 2:47 references (m.frag), while the orchestral interlude at 2:50 references (m.repeat), by having three emphasised beats on the same note. 02:57 - Theme 1, in the piano, diverted into (m.repeat - extending the orchestra’s variation on the idea), and modulating. At 3:17, a move to the dominant of F begins. 03:31 - Theme 2 proper, introducing the second complex. In its 4th measure, a reference to (m.repeat). the closing measures at 3:58 use (m.frag). 04:09 - Theme 3, cool, ethereal variant of Theme 2, in Db. Its tail contains (m.repeat) at 4:23 in the strings. At 4:29, it radically extends (m.chr), and eventually leads into a running piano passage (5:08) built entirely off an augmented/trimmed (m.frag), until reaching the cadential trill at 5:29. 05:31 - Theme 1 in F, now tucked into the bass of the tutti. Development 05:56 - The piano enters much as it did in Expo II. 06:12 - Piano slips into Gm, while (m.lyr) is taken up by the strings. 06:27 - Theme 1* in Eb. At 6:48, yet another reference to (m.lyr). 06:51 - (m.repeat) in the woodwinds, interrupted by piano arpeggios. 07:06 - (m.repeat) now moves into the piano, eventually taking over the texture entirely (7:12). 07:29 - Theme 3 (recalling 4:16), incorporating a lot of colour by borrowing the iv from the parallel minor. 07:49 - Dominant prolongation with lots of lovely minor 9th colour, while the orchestra plays (m.march). Recapitulation 07:56 - Theme 1, with the piano entering at (m.repeat). The passage at 8:21 incorporate the piano arpeggios from the development. 08:39 - Theme 2, in Bb. 09:16 - Theme 3 10:40 - Dramatic tutti combining (m.march), (m.repeat), and (m.chr - 10:47) leading to the 10:59 - Cadenza. Opens with a fughetta based off (m.march), which at 11:33 leads to a dramatic F pedal, over which the RH plays a version of (m.march) which has been stripped down to little more than its dotted rhythm. (m.lyr) enters at 11:44, the LH harmonies under it gradually growing restless and eventually incorporating (m.lyr). Eventually (m.lyr) is presented in augmentation and is joined by its inversion in the LH, creating an intense running passage (12:08). At 12:19 (m.march), now in Eb, enters majestically in the LH, but is quickly diverted into a kaleidoscopic descending passage that drops through the circle of 5ths (12:31). At 12:19 (m.march) asserts itself as a series of double-note broken arpeggios in the RH, the LH rising as the RH falls, before the hands switch roles. At 13:02, a rumbling measured trill on Bb, over which the RH plays counterpoint which combines (m.march) in both its original and augmented forms. 13:42 - Theme 1 closes. MVT II, Adagio 14:02 - A section. 15:35 - B section. Not so much a contrasting melody as much as a sort of semi-free figural complex. 16:41 quotes a harmonically modified version of the A theme (A*). 17:34 - A section. Melody first taken by the woodwinds, until the piano enters at 18:06 at the emotional peak of the melody. The orchestral tutti at 18:19 quotes material from the B section, as do the piano entries which follow. After an lovely passage in triplet semiquavers, we arrive at the 19:44 - Coda. Begins in a kind of harmonic wilderness, before three ecstatic rising trills (20:01) lead into A*. This builds into a 6/4 which looks like in would lead into a cadenza. Instead - in a wonderful moment which leaps decades ahead to late Beethoven, we get a rapt recitative (20:38), marked “con gran espressione”. The orchestra eventually interpolates the A theme’s opening phrase, which also closes the movement. MVT III, Rondo: Molto allegro 22:42 - Theme, with fun accents in the middle of each beat. 23:06 - Transition 1. 23:32 - Episode 1, in F. 23:58 - Transition 2. 24:24 - Theme, modulating to Gm. 24:55 - Episode 2, starting in Gm but wandering through many keys. Very earwormish, and, like the theme, misplaces the accents in the middle of the beat. The orchestral interruptions borrow from Transition 1. At 25:22, having arriving in the remote Bbm, the syncopation is pushed even earlier in the melody, which is now harmonised in thirds notes and joined by sudden counterpoint in the LH (25:27). 25:45 - Theme. 26:25 - Episode 1, in Bb. 27:21 - Theme, returning in a pretty ridiculous way: it’s in the wrong key, and its defining syncopation has been “corrected” so that the accents now fall on the beat. It now sounds meek, or even a bit confused. After a rather tongue-in-cheek modulation the theme finds its footing at 27:31. 27:39 - Coda, laden with virtuoso figuration. At 28:00 a new closing theme is introduced, built off the second measure of the rondo theme. The piano dies off via an extended double trill, before the orchestra closes.

if Mozart heard this piece he would suddenly realize that this genius is now doing what I do. Just as imaginative and structured. Just as brilliant. At this point Beethoven has taken the baton from Mozart and is going ahead. It's a continuum. Of course what comes later on is very different.

00:00 - Mvt 1 14:01 - Mvt 2 22:42 - Mvt 3

Ah! What a beautiful second movement. How musically expressive, and in what an touching way does the piano enter into it, cantabile style.

Following your comment, Uchida said that Beethoven's late was all there at the begining of his compositions, that one can hear it already in his first opuses.

Fantastic playing. Every phrase is filled with a persuasive intention, and the left-hand definition is incredibly vivid.

Marvelous, thank you for this beautiful concerto, precisely interpreted with a valuable score sincronized.

Thanks to you, now I'm listening to his Beethoven Piano Concerto no.1(new released CD). It's amazing! He's so close to my ideal op.15, and especially I love his Beethoven-like dynamic very much. Thank you Kumar!

I love the second movement so much. I find it very evocative.

Your explanation of the score is brilliant! Thank you so very much! ❤️

I like this concert so much ❤️

Superb performance. And thanks for score.

Thank you for the program notes. I've learned many parts of this concerto (roughly half - didn't like the 2nd movement!), and never knew what you stated about it actually being written before #1. It kind of makes more sense this way, since the 3rd movement of #1 presents what is essentially the birth of ragtime as its secondary theme, and I doubt even Beethoven wouldn't start out of the blocks with something like that.

27:13 I love this key change. It reminds me of a similar one at the end of his Piano Sonata No. 3, fourth movement

Beautiful Beethoven Concerto for Piano and Orchestra #2.

Wow 20:40... he plays in such a marvelous way with the pedal and the resonance 😍

Congrats on 80k

I like this better than the 1st Concerto, especially the finale, which so joyous and energetic and never fails to put a smile on my face. It's not as great as 3, 4, or 5 but that's a pretty damn high bar to clear.

Excellent !!

There is something very Mozartian about this piece

20:59 - that A-flat is everything... such poignancy in one stray note (phrase starting 20:38)

Exciting!

Love the voicing in the LH @25:27

Beethoven composed this concerto before he decided to break with the strictly classical style which composers such as Mozart and Haydn were obliged to follow according with the wishes of their employers. His compositions gave rise to the romantic period which was adopted by future musicians.

boa tarde A. X. Kumar, na escuta ouvindo. obrigada.

First movement just sounds like a masterclass in 'How to write a Mozartian piano concerto better than Mozart.' Also, Schubert's D960 4th movement at 4:31

24:55 best part

The reason it's called "Number 2" is because it was the second to be published. But it was written before what we now call Number 1.

Do you have a plan for uploading No.3?

When is this concerto located in Beethoven's sonata timeline? I'm guessing around before Sonata 7-8 or something? Before or after Pathethique?

Oh...7:30 so poignant - So touching.

25:23 The first time human being creat this accent

Hmmm... does the fisrt movement cadenza sound a bit like the Hammerklavier? Also B flat major...

12:08 Beethoven used that to show his skills to Mozart in 1787... After some years, Beethoven collect somes sketches and made the Cadenza of his Second piano concerto

hype

I 00:00 II 14:02 III 22:42

Though not as good as the greater ones that are 3, 4 and 5, this concerto still deserves more attention.

I don't understand why that's the least liked of all 5 LVB's piano concerto.

23:29

Who composed Cadenza? I don't think Beethoven wrote it.

12:21

I guess the third movement should have made a lot of romantic composers pay tribute to its scherzo-esque character...

In the cadenza you will find the origin of the "rag" in opus 111

Why does this have three flats, if it is in B flat, which is supposed to have just two?

Whose cadenza is this?

28:29 the pianist is playing here? i thought it was a tutti part

ist das von J.S.Bach oder von Mozart?🤔

10:59

2:22

u

Although I really love Beethoven, I have to say that this piece bores me beyond death. I've been open minded, I've listened to it 8 times by now, but the more I listen to it, the more it bores me...

14:01