In 1794, Beethoven wrote the following in Franz Clement's memory book: "Be happy, my dear young friend, and come back soon, so that I may hear your delightful, splendid playing again". The 14-year-old violinist was then a prodigy who had already aroused the admiration of many important musicians and aristocrats throughout Europe. Beethoven and Clement later became friends, and it was at Clement's request that Beethoven composed in 1806 his only violin concerto. Apart from being particularly fruitful in terms of output, 1806 was also the year when Beethoven finally acknowledged his deafness. He nevertheless assured his entourage that his loss of hearing "will no longer be an obstacle, even in the field of art". At the first performance of the Violin Concerto on 23 December 1806 at the Theater an der Wien, Beethoven took everyone by surprise. The critics gave very mixed reviews, condemning the "continual uproar" and the work's "lacking continuity". According to legend, the soloist played his part a vista, without any previous rehearsal! The concerto was long considered unplayable and was almost ignored during the three decades following its premiere. This masterpiece ultimately owes its reputation to another young violin prodigy. In 1844, 13-year-old Joseph Joachim brought the work to a triumph in London at a concert conducted by Mendelssohn. From then on, the Hungarian-born violinist made the D major Concerto a centrepiece of his repertoire and brought to the forefront of the stage this work of a new genre, that overturns the relationship between soloist and orchestra.