Past exhibition

While every music lover knows Beethoven's five piano concertos and his violin concerto, his early Bonn works in this genre are largely unknown today. There is also little awareness of the cadenzas, which were originally improvised spontaneously by the soloist, but were then increasingly pre-planned or even composed. Beethoven himself later composed several cadenzas for his first four piano concertos for his pupil Archduke Rudolph, which can serve as a model. Some remain within the usual framework, others break the rules. There are also cadenzas in his own hand for the piano version of his violin concerto. The collection of the Beethoven-Haus is a rich treasure trove.

n the 19th century, many leading Beethoven interpreters or celebrated pianists and violinists composed and published cadenzas for Beethoven's concertos - above all the first Honorary President of the Beethoven-Haus Association, the violinist and composer Joseph Joachim.

However, the exhibition also focuses on later attempts at further piano concertos, which the composer did not complete as planned.

Brief Guide