[1][n 1] It was first published in 1801 in Vienna with dedication to his pupil Princess Anna Louise Barbara Odescalchi (née Countess von Keglević), known to her friends as "Babette".

It adheres to the concerto variant of sonata form and is scored for solo piano and an orchestra consisting of flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

Tempo: = 144 The first movement is in sonata form, but with an added orchestral exposition, a cadenza, and a coda.

The development starts in E-flat major, then modulates to C minor, which ends with an octave glissando.

Typical performances last more than ten minutes The third movement is a seven-part sonata rondo (ABACABA), a traditional third-movement form in classical concerti.

German pianist Wilhelm Kempff wrote his own cadenzas for both the first and last movements and played these in his various recordings of the work.

Canadian pianist Glenn Gould also wrote his own cadenza, which was published by Barger and Barclay, and recorded for EMI in 1996 by Lars Vogt with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle