This volume contains two of Beethoven's most loved and widely performed
piano concertos, printed in the traditional format for two pianos: Piano
I is the solo part; Piano II, a piano reduction of the orchestral
score.
Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58, composed in 1805-06, is one of the
great masterpieces of the form, perfectly designed, profoundly poetic.
From its striking opening for the solo instrument -- a true innovation
for the concerto concept -- through the slow movement's literal
conversation between solo and orchestra, the work broke new ground as it
reshaped the form. The powerful Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73,
called the Emperor for its grandeur, was Beethoven's last piano
concerto. Composed in 1809, when the composer was 39, it is counted
among the most popular concertos in the repertoire. Grove considers it
one of the strongest works conceived by Beethoven, and by far the most
symphonic, from the thunderous cadential celebration of the very first
bars to the brilliant rondo-finale.
Both works are presented here in authoritative two-piano playing
editions edited by Franz Kullak, one of the nineteenth century's leading
piano editors and teachers of pianists. His classic format for two
keyboards is the universal standard, for students and professionals
alike, for learning and rehearsing all piano concertos. It gives the
pianist the most accessible form and practical means to prepare a work
for performance. To this practicality, Dover adds the convenience and
economy of joining two major concertos within a single volume.
