Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1

Although Beethoven performed on many such private occasions during his first few years in Vienna, his official Viennese debut did not occur until April 1800, when he was the featured soloist and composer in a Hofburgtheater concert given late on a Wednesday afternoon. The program included Beethoven's Septet, his Symphony no. 1, and his opus 15 Piano Concerto (which was to become known as his first concerto) along with a Mozart symphony and selections from Haydn's oratorio The Creation. (Elizabeth Schwarm Glesner)
Composed in 1797 (after the second concerto, op. 19), Concerto no. 1 for piano will be interpreted on numerous occasions in the concerts Beethoven held in German cities and in Prague.

The piano concerto has three parts:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Largo
3. Allegro scherzando

Part I - Allegro con brio, constructed like a sonata begins with the presentation of the two themes by the orchestra: the first one is of great joy, tuned by an orchestral tutti and is generously linked to the second theme that is softer and more lyrical.