Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (with Beethoven's Cadenza), Op. 19 (PDF Sheet Music / Digital Download)

Despite its numbering, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 was actually the first of his five piano concertos to be composed, primarily written between 1787 and 1789 before being finalized for his Viennese public debut as a virtuoso in 1795. Steeped in the Classical elegance of Mozart and Haydn, the work highlights Beethoven’s youthful brilliance while dropping subtle hints of his revolutionary future. The concerto opens with an energetic, Mozartian Allegro con brio, leads into a profoundly expressive Adagio featuring a striking recitative-like solo passage that reveals his burgeoning emotional depth, and concludes with a playful, syncopated Rondo full of wit and rhythmic drive. Though Beethoven himself famously downplayed its quality to his publisher, Concerto No. 2 remains a sparkling, vital landmark that captures the composer on the cusp of reshaping classical music forever.

This edition is a reissue of music originally published by Edition Peters, Leipzig.