I. Grave – Allegro, ma non troppo

Despite all the similarities with Mozart's Quintet K452, the piano part is clearly dominant in Beethoven's piece. 'The virtuoso element in the young composer's piano style is much more pronounced than it had been in Mozart's case. But the writing for the wind instruments, too, is appealingly virtuosic and, in the slow movement, wonderfully songful' (Michael Hasel, flutist in the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet).
BBC Music Magazine: outstanding; International Record Review: outstanding; Gramophone: outstanding.