Beethoven composed his only violin concerto not only for a specific performer (Franz Clement) but also for a specific occasion (a benefit concert for Clement himself). It was not well received at the premiere (likely due to hasty preparations for the concert that left little time for rehearsal) and was not generally accepted as one of the greatest concertos for the instrument until many years later, when a child prodigy named Joseph Joachim took up the work.

Five repeated notes (all D) from the timpani introduce the work, leading to a gentle woodwind theme. This five-note rhythm, which will dominate the movement, soon reappears in the violins, but now as a D-sharp; it is impossible for listeners today to experience just how remarkable these D-sharps must have sounded in 1806. After the orchestra introduces several themes, the violin enters, elaborating on them as they are repeated and then developed.

The slow movement is cast as a set of theme and variations, with flutes and oboes omitted in favor of muted strings and lower winds, as well as pizzicato strings in a remarkable episode. A brief cadenza leads directly to the ebullient hunting-horn finale. For this performance Ms. Kransberg-Talvi plays the cadenzas composed by Fritz Kreisler.