SKU: IM.3600

The present reconstruction represents the first time the 1793 cadenza sketches have been interpreted and assembled, although many scholars have recognized their existence. Among performers, only Steven Lubin and Robert Levin, to my knowledge, have taken notice of them, the former playing his own cadenza, as the 1809 Beethoven one far exceeds the range of the piano used in the premiere, while the latter decided it was more in keeping with the spirit of spontaneity to improvise a cadenza than to reconstruct Beethoven's. But it is hoped that the present edition will not only fill a need but partially satisfy a curiosity, and at the very least, provide a stylistically plausible solution to a centuries-old enigma. Hopefully, too, Beethoven's exciting musical ideas, formed at a turning point in his life, will be aired for the first time. These are offered here in our own new transcription, so the reader can tell which they are. The editorial tempo changes attempt to suggest Beethoven's distinctive style of piano-playing. - Kenneth Cooper.