The Piano Concerto No. 5 by Beethoven, nicknamed the “Emperor,” was composed right after Napoleon’s army besieged Vienna in May of 1809. The nickname was likely given by a publisher; in all likelihood, Beethoven probably wasn’t even a fan of it because of Napoleon. Nevertheless, the concerto does have an imperial sense and scope to it and you can hear it tonight at 7: Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, our Evening Masterwork on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9.
Evening Masterworks: Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat “Emperor” for July 13, 2024
![Beethoven](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f4e5b39/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x350+0+0/resize/880x428!/grayscale/true/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F42%2Fb4%2F8babe58042878cfd7f6eaca10229%2Fwsmr-evening-masterwork-images-for-grove-13.png)