Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73

In time for his 65th birthday in 2007, pianist Daniel Barenboim rounded off a cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven piano concertos. Recorded live at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this recording reflects both a very individual and unusual reading of Beethoven’s music and Barenboim's life-long dedication to the composer. Beethoven’s masterpieces have been a key part of Barenboim’s repertoire throughout his career. Simultaneously conducting and playing the piano, Barenboim leads the Staatskapelle Berlin in a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, known as the “Emperor” Concerto. It is noteworthy that Beethoven opened the first movement of his final concerto with a cadenza – an unaccompanied, virtuoso passage played by the soloist – which normally occurs near the end of a concert movement. Contrary to tradition, Beethoven did not allow the soloist to perform his own improvised cadenza, as he wrote out this elaborate passage himself.