Violin Concerto (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major was written in 1806. It is Beethoven's opus 61.

The work was preformed for the first time in Vienna in December 1806, but was only made popular in the 1840s by the violinist Joseph Joachim.

The work is in three movements:

I. Allegro ma non troppo

II. Larghetto

III. Rondo (Allegro)

The first movement opens with five taps on the timpani, and that motif runs through the whole movement. At around 25 minutes, this is one of Beethoven's longest single movements. The main melody of the last movement rondo, which imitates a hunting horn, is quite well known.

Cadenzas for the work have been written by several notable violinsts, including Joachim. The cadenzas by Fritz Kreisler are probably most often employed.

Beethoven arranged the work as a piano concerto, writing his own cadenza which unusually features the timpani as well as the solo instrument. This version is not so often played as his five "original" piano concertos, but is sometimes given.