This concerto was most probably inspired by the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon, as suspected by the military march-like and heroic first movement. Beethoven's personal tragedy with the loss of his hearing at the time of this composition (1800) might also have impacted his mood to create a tense-filled, dark and dramatic first movement. At that time, the 30-year old Beethoven was starting to realise that his hearing loss was not only permanent and serious but also progressive. In 1801, he had written to a friend "I must confess that I am living a miserable life. For almost 2 years, I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people: I am deaf". Despite all this, he did not allow his adversity take over his life. At one point around that time, he also wrote "I will seize fate by the throat; It will certainly not crash me completely". If we picture Beethoven's words in his music, we may easily understand the dramatic and heroic character of the first movement of this composition, just like raising his fist to his drama.
It is also worth noting Mozart's influence on Beethoven when writing this music, especially the first movement, although Beethoven goes beyond Mozart's music style by also creating a bridge with the romantic era of music. So, in the second movement, being a complete contrast to the first movement, the music is one of the most lyrical and soulful Beethoven, or any other composer, has ever written. A suggested title for this composition could be: "Heroic stories".