Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 ("Emperor")

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.

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