Beethoven Piano Concertos 2, 3 & 4

Beethoven’s first two concertos have the brilliance of Haydn or Mozart, but stalked by a hint of that indefinable Beethovenian heft. In Piano Concerto No.3 this forces its way into the foreground. Here, particularly in the tight, spirited finale, Beethoven truly comes into his own.

More innovation in the Fourth Concerto: for the first time in history, the piano begins the concerto entirely alone, ruminating on a phrase which soon opens out into one of Beethoven’s most genial works.