Beethoven premieres his Violin Concerto at the Theater an der Wien

Background. Beethoven composed the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, in 1806. He wrote the piece specifically for Franz Clement, a leading violinist of the day who had previously advised Beethoven on his opera Fidelio. The Theater an der Wien, a historic theatre in Vienna completed in 1801, was a favorite venue for Beethoven, who lived in rooms inside the theatre during part of his time composing Fidelio.

Premiere. The concerto was premiered on 23 December 1806 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. The occasion was a benefit concert for Franz Clement. The performance was unsuccessful, and the work languished in obscurity for decades. Some sources state that Clement interrupted the concerto between the first and second movements with a solo composition played on one string of the violin held upside down, while other sources claim he played this piece only at the end.

Legacy. The Violin Concerto was little performed in the decades following its premiere. It was revived in 1844 by the twelve-year-old violinist Joseph Joachim with the orchestra of the London Philharmonic Society conducted by Felix Mendelssohn. Joachim later claimed it to be the greatest German violin concerto. Since then, it has become one of the best-known and regularly performed violin concertos.