Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4

Album by Ludwig van Beethoven & Julius Katchen & London Symphony Orchestra & Piero Gamba

Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 are a pair of piano concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed in the late 1790s (No. 2) and in 1805–06 (No. 4). No. 2 reflects Beethoven's early Classical style with graceful piano writing and clear orchestral accompaniment rooted in the Viennese tradition, while No. 4 shows a more mature, intimate dialogue between soloist and orchestra, expanded harmonic language and formal innovations that point toward his middle-period developments.