Specific passage from In Search Of Beethoven

[wizofaus]

I just saw this the other day, and there's a specific passage from one of his Piano Concertos played by Helene Grimaud that I knew I'd heard before but really touched me (particularly the expression on her face while playing) and I have to know what it is...the credits only mention Beethoven 4, but I've listened to the whole thing and can't find it. Basically it's just this slow descending scale passage that if it were in C would go:

G____ F E D C B | B__ A__
(Cmaj) . . . . . . .| (Fmaj)

I think it might then repeat one tone up, but my memory's a bit hazy. I believe there might be a couple of Gs the octave below preceding this (again, assuming it was in C - don't have perfect pitch and couldn't see the keyboard so I don't know the key).

Does anybody know where this is from?

Thanks for any help!

[wizofaus]

Double checked the credits and noticed the Emperor was listed too - and of course this is from the slow movement of that. I have to say that in the Ashkenazy performance I have on CD this particular passage is nowhere near as heartfelt, even though generally he's a technically more proficient player (Grimaud's trills in particular are occasionally a bit clumsy).

[DavidO]

Double checked the credits and noticed the Emperor was listed too - and of course this is from the slow movement of that.

Bingo -- you got it!

See Measures 20 & 21 of the solo.

[wizofaus]

Well I got the concerto right, but the melody quite wrong...I did have a feeling there was at least one repeated note in there. And now that I can see it's in B major I do actually remember noticing that while watching it (there was a brief camera shot of the keys), but that wouldn't have helped at all in working out it was from the 5th, which I guess I just haven't listened to in a long long time. I have to confess my worship of Beethoven is mainly confined to his symphonies and overtures (plus a few of the sonatas)...as far as piano concertos go I'm a bit of a sucker for the Russians I guess.

[Sorrano]

For me, this is one of the most sublime passages of music out there; particularly at the point the piano makes its entrance. I'm glad you got to enjoy that.