least technical beethoven concerto?

[musical_fingers]

i want to know which is the quickest beethoven concerto to learn, and least technical...also i wonder if mozarts piano concerto number 21 in c major is easier to play than any of the beethoven..for me i cant decide (as i dont have much time!)
thanks

[steinwayguy]

Mozart 21 is definitely easier than any Beethoven concerto.

For Beethoven, it's obviously one or two. I've heard one is easier than two, but (since I've played two) if you learn efficiently, you could have either learned in a week and performable in two.

[musical_fingers]

what about beethovens 3? is that not easier than 1 or 2?

[sharon_f]

Two is probably the easiest technically and the most straightforward musically.  However, unless you are a pretty advanced student, I would give yourself more than two weeks to get it performance ready.

[galonia]

I learnt the Beethoven 2 and 3, and 2 is most definitely easier to learn than 3.  You can learn all the notes of 2 in a very short time (I won't say anything about performance ready).  3 has a lot more notes to learn than 2, and they're harder to learn.

[xvimbi]

Often, the first Beethoven Sonata people attempt is No. 20 in G major (Op. 49 No. 2)

[pianowelsh]

I have played beethoven 1 it's in many ways quite staright forward. It's not without difficulties and I don't care how experinced you are I would never recommend learning it in a fortnight - a slight element of irresponsibility about attempting that It depends really which cadenzas you do some are almost as long as the first movement and technically quite hard. If you love playing scales go for no1 in fact I would say go for no 1 anyway it's a much more charming piece than no2 and number 3 in my opinion and I would say the first three are all of a similar level of technical difficulty but really the technical difficulty is the least of your worried in a classical concerto the music takes longer to come generally. Enjoy the experience

[Dikai]

ya... beethoven #1 is fairly straight-forward, no big surprises...
and there are several versions of cadenza, all okay...
it would be a simpler version of a mozart concerto
(in the sense that there's less finger work)...
but the thing is tho... since there aren't that many notes...
you have to make every note count....
---
it's not like a liszt or rachmaninoff... too many notes, miss a few here and there would turn out okay.... of course that's if you don't destroy the harmony

[steinwayguy]

what about beethovens 3? is that not easier than 1 or 2?

No, it's ("technically") a heck of a lot harder than 2, and probably 1.

[rachmaninoff_969]

If you are looking to learn ANY concerto in a week and pull it off like a monkey performing a stunt then I would suggest that you retire from the piano immediately.  Although, this impression that I am getting may be a result of the replies to your question, so in all fairness here is my suggestion.

If you need to learn the notes to a piece fairly quickly, your main problem is going to be memory.  I would advise first looking at the piece away from the piano and dividing it into it's formal functions (ie. main theme, transition, subordinate theme, cadenza, individual theme types of the development (whatever they may be...ie. period, sentence, compound sentence, rarely small ternary) ).  If you create "goal posts" by dividing into LOGICAL sections your memory will remain solid for much longer than the day of the performance.

As for the concertos.  I have played all 5, but I by no means consider myself to be an expert. However I have witnessed many people quickstudy the concertos, so here are my observations:

Concerto # 1 :  second composed of the five.  It is more mature than the second, and slightly more difficult interpretively.  Beethoven extends the general sonata form much more, and therefore the passages are more complicated.

Concerto# 2:  certainly the simplest in structure (easy to memorize).  The passage work is slightly easier than in the first concerto simply because there are less passages to master. 

Concerto# 3:  The first movement is a breeze technically, but musically it is also slightly more expanded than the first movement of #2.  If you choose this work, just beware of the second movement.  I would read through it prior to starting to the concerto from the first movement (if you work from beginning to end that is).  It is very difficult to do this movement well.

Concerto#4:  Just don't even try to do it in the time you have.  It would be an insult to Beethoven.

Concerto#5:  The only problem with learning this one so quickly is its length.  It is quite a massive concerto, and require a fair bit of stamina, especially once you reach the third movement.  I would avoid this one due to its technical difficulty and depth.  It is the most complexly structured of the 5 concertos, and there are consequences performance-wise that result from this fact.  It would best be studied under the guidance of a good teacher over a longer period of time.  If you are already beyond having a teacher, it is still best studied over a longer period of time.  One must digest this concerto, otherwise it would be VERY risky to play...keep in mind that it is the best known amongst the public, and if it is for a competition, the adjudicators will write you off instantly if you don't play this 100% convincingly.

Good luck, and I wish you all the best!

[galonia]

It depends really which cadenzas you do some are almost as long as the first movement and technically quite hard.

Just write your own!!!