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How does Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 begin differently from many earlier concertos?

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caricature of Antonio Vivaldi — concerto Caricature of Antonio Vivaldi, pen and ink on paper by Pier Leone Ghezzi, 1723; in the Codex Ottoboni, Vatican Library, Rome. The inscription below the drawing reads, “Il Prete rosso Compositore di Musica che fece L'opera a Capranica del 1723” (“The red priest, composer of music who made the opera at Capranica [College in Rome] of 1723”).

In many earlier concertos, the work typically began with an orchestral tutti (the full ensemble) playing the exposition before the soloist entered.

In contrast, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Opus 58, begins with the piano playing alone. The soloist performs a short, refreshingly simple statement of the main theme, which is followed immediately by a surprising, tangential entrance of the orchestra. This departure from the traditional orchestral opening highlights Beethoven's role as an innovator of musical form, as he frequently broke established patterns of Classical music to expand the range and expression of the genre.12