Start of B's 4th piano concerto

[Phil Leeds]

I went to a concert last Saturday where Angela Hewitt was the soloist playing B's 4th piano concerto.
As you will know it starts with solo piano a large chord in G major, but she did not play the chord but as an arpeggio.
I wondered if I had imagined it, so contacted via Facebook the organisers and they confirmed that she did do this, saying it was her interpretation.
Thoughts please?

[Zevy]

Well Phil - she got your attention and probably a few more knowledgeable Beethoven enthusiasts' attention. That's what she wanted to do. I would venture to say that at one point LVB himself might have done that, and for that reason as well.
I would like to see where this thread goes.

[Michael]

I recall once hearing the opening of the concerto played as you describe. It would certainly have been on a radio or TV broadcast because I don't have any recordings that treat the opening chord as an arpeggio.
Unfortunately, I can't remember who was playing; it could well have been Angela Hewitt!

[Phil Leeds]

Thank you for the replies. Yes, you are probably right Zevy that B himself might well have done it to get people talking. Interesting you have heard it before Michael, I wonder if it was someone other than Angela Hewitt.
It did sort of throw me with the concert actually and although she played it all very well, the intro just seemed all wrong, especially as her touch was not especially light, was it Wilhelm Kempf that said something like "You should just feel the keys" ?

[Albert Gans]

Might be interesting for the less qualified, like me, to hear the difference....

[Quijote]

I went to a concert last Saturday where Angela Hewitt was the soloist playing B's 4th piano concerto.
As you will know it starts with solo piano a large chord in G major, but she did not play the chord but as an arpeggio.
I wondered if I had imagined it, so contacted via Facebook the organisers and they confirmed that she did do this, saying it was her interpretation.
Thoughts please?

It's true that the opening G major chord is not notated as an arpeggio, though there are a couple of arpeggio gestures in the second movement.
It's an interesting point, Phil Leeds in that there is one Beethoven scholar (Owen Jander - you can Google this to get more background info) who posits the idea of "Orpheus" (a harp player) being behind the inspiration for this concerto.

[Phil Leeds]

It's true that the opening G major chord is not notated as an arpeggio, though there are a couple of arpeggio gestures in the second movement.
It's an interesting point, Phil Leeds in that there is one Beethoven scholar (Owen Jander - you can Google this to get more background info) who posits the idea of "Orpheus" (a harp player) being behind the inspiration for this concerto.

That is interesting, so do you think it possible that she was trying to recreate the harp feel with this arpeggio perhaps. The grace notes in the 4th bar possibly give this feeling better
I am unsure about such an interpretation - Beethoven was a good lad and knew what he was doing

[Quijote]

That is interesting, so do you think it possible that she was trying to recreate the harp feel with this arpeggio perhaps. The grace notes in the 4th bar possibly give this feeling better
I am unsure about such an interpretation - Beethoven was a good lad and knew what he was doing

Maybe, who can say. Do check out Owen Jander's thesis and maybe get back to us? Look forward to that.