Krieger brings refinement and polished technique to these two concertos. The Concerto No. 3 (1803) marks the beginning of B’s “second period” of creative development. The 1st mvmt’s drama is dramatic, with an uncanny, dark sensibility. B adds ferocity and canny pauses in the vocal line, with stinging runs and vivid trills that Krieger accomplishes with precision. The ever-effective tympani pulse after the cadenza inflames the heart. The 2nd mvmt has an enchanted aura, a sustained meditation amidst the outer mvmts’ furor of emotion. The last mvmt exhibits directness and playful symmetry showing influence of Haydn, with his penchant for moments of strict counterpoint. B’s modulations of key in this mvmt add another feather to the shaft of his wit. The flighty coda, with rumbling tympani, has Krieger in after-burner mode, whipping through the virtuosic runs and broken chords with happy finesse.
The 1809 E-flat Concerto combines sweeping gestures with minutely tinted orchestra timbre and coloring. The keyboard part asks for the piano’s capacity to sing, with alternating declamations and (self-indulgent) improvisatory asides and ostinato (repeated phrases or rhythms) that evidence B’s fertile imagination. The wild scale pattern in the 1st mvmt development section elicited from George Bernard Shaw, “I did with my ears what I do with my eyes when I stare.” Arpeggios and block chords signify the imposing might of this Herculean composition, only to be offset by delicate music-box sonorities. The coda has a soaring lyricism. The 2nd mvmt conveys a sublime serenity of spirit, cast as a chorale and variations. The rhythmic kernel of the 3rd mvmt lies in a dotted figure that impels the music. The music suggests a royal hunt, and explores a series of variants, at times militant, even imperative.