Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, op. 37

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 is fascinating not only for its emotional depth, but also for the intense dialog between soloist and orchestra. This almost symbiotic relationship, as well as the clear development of the classical concert form into the great symphonic art, make the work a milestone in concert literature. The work was created over a long period of time. Beethoven first noted down the idea for his C minor Concerto during his 1796 tour in Berlin. When the composer sold his first two piano concertos at the end of 1800, he mentioned that he had even “better” ones, but that he was keeping them to himself for the time being. On 5 April 1803, his Third Piano Concerto was premiered at an Academy Concert in Vienna, together with his Second Symphony op. 36 and the oratorio “Christ on the Mount of Olives” op. 85. Beethoven had written out the orchestral parts in detail, while the solo part was only rudimentarily notated. As usual, Beethoven improvised during the performance. It was not until his student Ferdinand Ries performed the concerto a year later that Beethoven composed the solo part in detail. However, Ries’ solo part, which served as the model for the first edition, has been lost. For the new Beethoven Complete Edition, editor Hans-Werner Küthen has relied on the only surviving manuscript, the autograph score, as well as the music text of the first edition. In his extensive preface to the Urtext edition, Küthen provides valuable information about his editorial approach.