Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 Is Played for the First Time

The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the "Emperor Concerto", was his last piano concerto.

It was written between 1809 and 1811 in Vienna, and was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven's patron and pupil. The first performance took place in November 1811, at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the soloist being Friedrich Schneider. In 1812, Carl Czerny, his student, gave the Vienna debut of this work.

The epithet of "Emperor" for this concerto, used in English-speaking countries, was not Beethoven's own, but was coined by Johann Baptist Cramer, the English publisher of the concerto. Its duration is approximately forty minutes.