Beethoven's Concertos: History, Style, Performance

The distinguished veteran Yale music professor Plantinga (Romantic Music) once again earns the gratitude of music lovers with this effort, billed as the first ever full-length book about Beethoven's concertos. Of course, a number of books have been devoted to each of the composer's works, notably in the excellent Cambridge Music Handbook series, but Plantinga's idea to discuss them together is sound, in that Beethoven's concertos, whatever the solo instrument, have more in common with each other than with efforts by other composers. Musically sophisticated laypeople will find Plantinga's prose refreshingly clear and will appreciate his restrained use of musical examples. Plantinga's thoughts retain their human level and tone, no doubt owing to his decades of experience as a teacher. Devoting chapters to the individual works, he also adds valuable notes on performing Beethoven's concertos, debunking some of the ""authentic"" approaches to early music: ""As in the case of Mozart, we have little precise information about just how Beethoven performed his own concertos."" This is likely to be a long-valued contribution to the subject. (Dec.)