Written in 1806, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major was premiered by his colleague Franz Clement, just before Christmas of that year, on 23 December.
It wasn’t an instant hit when first performed – Beethoven wrote it within a few weeks, to the point where the soloist hadn’t had change to learn the part, so was mostly sight-reading.
During this time, Beethoven wrote Symphonies 3 and 4, the Triple Concerto, the Razumovsky Quartets, and Piano Sonatas 21 to 23.
The piece’s first movement, “Allegro ma non troppo,” is written in classic sonata form, including exposition, development, and recapitulation (with coda).
The second movement, “Larghetto,” is a group of variations on two themes.
The third movement “Rondo: allegro,” is a hybrid form sometimes known as a rondo sonata, which includes elements of both musical forms and incorporates a cadenza composed later by Austrian-born violinist Fritz Kreisler.
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