I will end with a technical announcement – I’m very happy to say that the complete cycle will be available on Apple Music, simultaneously with the YouTube releases. All in all, this Sonata is a balm for the heart after the Tempest’s darkness and pain, and a respite for the mind after the complexities of Sonata No. It is akin to a pocket universe, where rules apply that might not apply elsewhere, and discovering and accepting these rules is a prerequisite to enjoyment. 10 in G major, is a real hidden gem. The second movement’s (10:17) narrative, much more severe in mood, is personal and inward-looking, its measured accompaniment perhaps closer to the sound of an implacable clock. Both works in that opus are subtitled ‘Sonata quasi una fantasia’ – sonata in the spirit (or manner) of a fantasy. From these blocks, Beethoven constructs a movement unified in mood and colour – everything is dark and tense. A simple, sincere elegance permeates both the third movement and the finale. 111. and the ending, which includes a visit to the relatively distant key of D-flat major (17:37), a spooky atmospheric arpeggio (17:55), and which finally evaporates in a curious C major, leaving an ambiguous, unnerving afterimage. But the problem with this story is twofold: first, in Schindler’s account, Beethoven’s reply applied to both Sonata No. 12 seems to me but the first step on this path, something we become aware of only in retrospect. Secondly, today we know that Schindler was a forger and a fabricator – many of his entries in the written conversation books with Beethoven were inserted by him long after Beethoven’s death (as shown by research in the 1970s and ’80s), and thus it is impossible to say whether any reply which he had attributed to Beethoven was true or falsified. The nickname was coined by Ludwig Rellstab, a German poet and influential music critic, some five years after Beethoven’s death, but its colossal popularity certainly dated back to Beethoven’s lifetime. But the broken chords themselves recur multiple times inside the movement: in the repeat of the exposition, later on at the demarcation line between the exposition and the development, and most remarkably between the development and the reprise. 1 is likely to date from 1797 or early 1798, around the time of composition of the Sonatas, Op. Even though I kept posting new sonatas until May, all that material had in fact been filmed by late winter. After the passion and darkness of the F minor sonata, and the easy, warm eloquence of the A major sonata, Beethoven turned to C major for a work of explosive brilliance. 27, Nos. A complete, gripping narrative in under two minutes! In the coda (16:45), Beethoven allows the music to become truly tragic, a reflection of inner pain and perhaps a deeply felt commentary on the fragility of a single life. C minor: by far the most iconic Beethoven key. In its harmonies, it is also the more adventurous variation of the three, adding dense chromaticism to what is otherwise quite a bland movement (harmonically only!). The D major material goes on for a good several phrases. But any kind of upset expectation can be humorous, if the expectation is widely shared – as this one probably was at the time among the connoisseurs). There are many elements that Arrau brings to these works that few others have matched. The manuscripts then lay unpublished for years until in 1802, Beethoven’s brother Kaspar Karl, serving as part-time secretary to Beethoven, included them in an offer to a publisher. This connection with one of Shakespeare’s last plays was the source of the Sonata’s nickname. 1 is likely to date from 1797 or early 1798, around the time of composition of the Sonatas, Op. This, together with the slow elegance of the music, creates a curious effect: it is as if we were in a stasis, safe for the moment, but inevitably feeling that if the story is to continue, we would need to leave this B flat major shelter. Bach, Cantata BWV 58, at the Sunday after New Year – Death in a New Eden, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_XPYX1X-6w&fbclid=IwAR0ThF8vhrOgOQla8JnI0wGQ4Rqe1-3ST56YNYAODeeUk5deXFBS1gcEHIQ. repeated notes in its theme (11:16) are like Chekhov's proverbial gun, which fires towards the end of the movement, at 14:14, when the left hand, which has obviously had enough, goes amok and hammers out a long string of repeated octaves in fortissimo. The finale’s opening (15:08) presents us with what was (intentionally, I believe) missing from the first movement – a long melody of true poetic beauty, earning the Sonata its second, much more artistic nickname, ‘L’Aurora’ (‘The Dawn’), as its gentle caress seemed to evoke the first colouring of the sky at daybreak. But it seems to me that the writing is far too pianistic to parody opera, and perhaps too pristine to be a parody at all. ... 29. Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op.111 30. 32 The complete Beethoven sonatas About Experience the legendary pianist Daniel Barenboim’s touchstone recordings of the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas, filmed in 1983–1984 in the glittering grandeur of Austrian palaces! To No. The end point remains the same – if all goes to plan, Op. Now life continues, and with intensity, but I will be digesting last week for a while, I’m sure. 111 in a way, a revelation that I had never heard, and Schubert’s D. 960, with such conviction of coherence and awareness that it turns sadness of mind into its brilliance. Instead, Beethoven takes the last three notes – the musical equivalent of "that is all" – and builds an entire extended (and even somewhat dramatic) narrative around it. It is also perhaps the most deeply-felt part of the sonata, questingly exploring numerous keys in a long modulating passage. It's all here. Mann states that “this added C sharp is the most moving, consolatory, pathetically reconciling thing in the world.” The C sharp occurs just after the conclusion of the triple trill, and Taruskin (and with different emphasis, Rosen), more analytically than Mann, notes that the triple trill introduces the “only modulation ever to intrude, in this movement, upon the limpid C-major tonality of the whole.” Anton Kuerti, in his extensive notes (1996) to his recordings of the Beethoven sonatas, further notes that as the trilling ceases, on the very C sharp, the “bass and treble both play single notes separated by five octaves, as though the composer were telling his theme, ‘There, I leave you to stand on your own.’” Or, to use Rosen’s description, by the “power to suspend motion, seeming to stop the movement of time….”. None of those were necessarily new or original, but the sincerity of emotion and the lack of theatricality make the music particularly endearing. Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. Arietta: Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile The first movement, like many other works by Beethoven in C minor (see Beethoven and C minor), is stormy and impassioned. 111 represents a process of deliberate frustration, the “whole movement [being] one unconsummated gesture after another.” Contrarily, the second movement, which is twice as long as the first, “reaches a point of status or suspended motion…,” that is, to the point of being immeasurable, the increasing smaller note values at last dissolving into the “unmeasured trill — a kind of aural vanishing point, in which all sense of countable time is lost … ; moreover, its most arresting effect comes in mm. If the first sonata of Op. Thus the Theme and Variation 1 contain bars of 3 x 3; in Variation 2 it is 3 x 2 x 3; in Variation 3 it is 3 x 2 x 2 x 3; and from Variation 4 it is 3 x 3 x 3.” The Association’s complete commentary can be read here. The personal nature of the music is reflected in the parlando (‘speaking’) effect – music which seems to imply spoken words – particularly in the second theme, with its many repeated, entreating notes. (A shorter version of this text was published in The Times on April 8th, 2020). 49, No. Among Beethoven’s few close friends in Vienna were the piano-building couple, Andreas and Nanette Streicher. To balance it, an even more virtuoso coda finishes the movement. And it seems one pop legend has had the same idea. 19-20) to one of his greatest – Sonata No. But I’ll leave it to the next posts. But the shadow doesn’t fully pass: later on in the movement Beethoven introduces a motif reminiscent of distant drums, bringing back coiled energy and tension (9:46). But even in Beethoven’s time this passage must have been a case of his showing off. What started as a cool idea has quickly become a… – I honestly don’t know how to describe it in a word; it’s passionate, engaging, sleep- and thought-consuming, stimulating, surprising, sometimes infuriating – love? Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato 2. By the 'Grande' designation, Beethoven wanted to single it out as a special work, which didn't need other sonatas to be published as an opus. From Variation 4 onwards each beta divides into nine, and so the correct time signature would be 27/32, but Beethoven uses 9/16 with implied triplet signs. 17 and Sonata No. The middle section wouldn’t be out of place in Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, juxtaposing two syncopated gallops, the first fiery in spirit and a bit steely in sound, the second light-footed and questioning. So what now? The second movement (4:35) is a minuet, thoroughly lovely and charming. In Beethoven’s later work, “the subjective and the conventional assumed a new relationship, conditioned by death.” Mann places great emphasis on the introduction of the C sharp in the transitional interlude between the fourth and fifth variations, as the interlude moves into E flat major until the start of the fifth variation. Like great science fiction writing often arises from a simple ‘what if’ question, the outer movements of the Sonata explore two musical worlds where something fundamental has been altered. Beethoven never hides his interest in the motifs he develops, and here, too, it is made obvious in the last third of the movement, as the motif is stubbornly repeated, building up to a climax, and then descending, gradually calming down before the seamless transition into the finale. With one simple broken chord, Beethoven creates so much atmosphere and promises so much magic that the music transports us elsewhere right away. The music merrily rolls from there, generating its own incessant energy, wave after wave. It is decidedly un-Beethovenian at first listening – beautiful, but in a detached, equanimous way. 29 in B ♭ major, Op. become increasingly varied and ornamented, showing Beethoven’s easy ingenuity and delight in exploring the material in an improvisatory way. 1 (hence, expectations! The second variation, returning to the comic character of the theme, explores the syncopation effect to the fullest. 10 No. Not just the final results (though I know with a clear certainty there can be nothing final about these results – years of repeated exploration await), nor a list of listening guides or analyses, but that very intensity of feeling. Perhaps this was Beethoven’s intention exactly – to clash the inner and outer worlds. 13 that, for me, it was the true hidden gem of the cycle. The slow movement, too, stands out in its emotional maturity and often exquisite beauty – its deep musicality wonderfully balancing the fireworks of the fast movements. Even though I had been playing Beethoven since I was a child, I feel I’ve only really started to discover him over the past months, as I embarked on a journey to learn and film all 32 sonatas over the course of 2020. And I’m also sure that this ‘extra more’ Beethoven I experienced last week will remain a guiding light for me as to how Beethoven can and should feel onstage. 10 No. Op. You won't BELIEVE number 17! With the same dream-like immediacy of transition, we find ourselves in the relatively distant key of A flat major (linked to C major by the single common note, C). This necessitated a change in the original schedule, and the first sonata video will be released on January the 17th. 32 in C minor, Op. But perhaps the biggest shift is in Beethoven's imagination – the very concept of what a sonata could be seems expanded; it is as if a previously two-dimensional painting began to acquire depth. 1 and 2. You can follow the entire project here on beethoven32.com. Like the opening Menuetto, this movement, too, seems to follow its own somewhat unpredictable logic. Upon the scherzo’s return, a simple device shifts the music into super-virtuosic mode: Beethoven offsets the right hand by half a beat, effectively doubling the number of notes in what is already a fast tempo. 28 instead. 4, Op. Only calmer consideration 111, is the last of Beethoven's piano sonatas. We are enchanted and entranced by the ‘Moonlight’, we relate to it with a deep part of our soul, and I believe it will continue to touch and affect us for a long time to come. The elegant minuet and the easy-flowing, good-natured finale are even reminiscent of the sonatas Opp. At that point – 1795 – he was already famous as a keyboard virtuoso, but the transition to fame as a composer was not obvious, and he took great care with the first works he published, a set of three trios (Op. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame. American musicologist Richard Taruskin, in his massive but marvellous Music in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (2010), gives an extensive discussion of Op. 1, with its wonderful simplicity, innocence and utter lack of desire to move anywhere, harmonically speaking (this, in contrast to the most basic tenet of a sonata form – its inherent need to change key, change subject, modulate, explore). Beethoven's writing is almost orchestral – one could easily hear horns in the opening, jolly oboes and bassoons in the bridge section and multi-layered string tremolos in the codetta. 2 showed us a laconic, tense and passionate Beethoven, here in the A major sonata he is charming, good natured, outgoing, eloquent. 32 in C Minor, Op. The third movement is a hybrid minuet and scherzo, starting off as a melancholy, somewhat stylized dance, which changes its character drastically towards the end. 12 is a door leading to exciting, hitherto unexplored musical worlds. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile from Ludwig van Beethoven's The Complete Original Jacket Collection and … 15 in D major, Op. 2, 3 and 4 were easier to imagine and to construct. 111. Happily, the July sessions took place, and we were able to film 13 (!) and have since been streaming 2-3 lunchtime concerts a week. The next one to follow, No. The other sonata of the pair, No. 2013 Preview SONG TIME Piano Sonata No. Beethoven takes the closing chords of the first movement and puts them above a stormy whirlwind of sound, at times furious, at times impassioned, at times haunted and driven. And over the weekend I will post a listening guide to the 1st sonata, and write about that first filming session. This is one of Beethoven’s hallmarks: taking tiny musical building blocks and developing them beyond the limits of their perceived potential. ), and a more organic integration of virtuosity and music. Rather than a more common unmeasured sweep down or up the keyboard, here the glissando is to be played pianissimo, in strict measure, with both hands, and to make things worse, with a controlled stop in the middle of the line. The Minuet is a jewel among the other movements, replete with beauty and poetry. Today, I can both understand my initial reaction and see how superficial it was, and, ultimately, how wrong. The incongruous mismatch of the two elements strongly suggests an extra-musical narrative – but without any indication from Beethoven as to what it may be, it would have to remain open to our imaginations. 2, it was the final, third work which was to be the culmination of the opus. 7, while Sonata No. Beethoven Piano Sonata No.4 in Eb major, Op.7 Analysis. 10, and before the Pathétique. His trills are gorgeous, nowhere more so than at the conclusion of the Arietta of Sonata No. The finale brings back Beethoven’s enjoyment of manipulating meter. 13, but surely it has more than enough individuality to be loved for what it is, and not just as a precursor to a later work. 11 in Bb major, Op. It is very tempting to talk of watershed moments – perhaps only visible to us in hindsight – but the Waldstein, its every note radiant with inspiration, is surely a landmark in Beethoven’s development, as well as in the development of the sonata genre in Beethoven’s hands. They create two worlds, as opposing as they are complementary, similarly rich in atmosphere, and possessing a similar power to transport us elsewhere immediately upon hearing their opening bars. Dear all, the blog has been silent for far too long. 10 – the sonata No. 9:27 PREVIEW Piano Sonata No. 7-11 – those that had been filmed before the lockdown – and will continue filming as soon as the situation allows. 32; Klaviersonate Nr. I wanted to follow Beethoven on his path and treat every sonata as I believe Beethoven would have treated it: as the pinnacle of what he was able to achieve at that point in his creative life. 2 – the same irreverent ease, the same drive and mischievous humour, and the same unexpectedly calm ending over a bass drone. 1. The first movement of Op. 28 'Pastorale' Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. At first, the thunderous octave passage is almost double the length of the opening Menuetto, seemingly overpowering it, but as the movement progresses, it is the minuet element that is developed and varied, acquiring elaborate ornamentation, while the octave passage becomes shorter and finally disappears completely until the very final bars. Privacy policy at https://hendrikslegtenhorst.com/privacy-policy/ In addition to the dramatic F minor Sonata, Op. 2 and 7, written 4-5 years earlier. I was on tour in the States when cancellations and lockdowns started happening in Europe and the US. Strongly accented notes, although rare, occur mostly on weak beats, helping obscure the bar lines. The final episode (22:07), an unstoppable wave of thundering semiquaver triplets, leads into a frenzy of a coda (23:20). 1, on one side and the mature masterpiece which is the D major sonata, Op. As with the 3 Trios Op. 2 were his calling card in Vienna as a composer. The third movement is a lovely minuet, gentle and, apart from the more animated trio, carefree. Beethoven seems more relaxed here, softer, at times genuinely happy. times with nearly manic insistence in a wildly modulatory section (5:29). And then, after 15 seconds of this explosive but not-too-dangerous rage, all is back to normal, as if nothing's happened. Of the five variations that follow, two stand out: the third one, in the very uncommon key of A flat minor (seven flats! 1 was perhaps the biggest challenge of all, as it’s No. The repeats of the refrain (five in number!) 111 will be released on New Year’s day 2021. Here, the first movement itself (0:06) seems to contain, if not two separate movements, then certainly a clash of two very different worlds. Adam has studied with Alfred Brendel, Sir András Schiff, Leon Fleisher, and Murray Perahia, all Beethoven specialists. Beethoven finally gives us a movement in full sonata form, as clear in its musical language as if it were illuminated by bright sunlight, realistic, full of good-natured humour, and propelling itself forward on the endless self-generated energy of its happily industrious semiquavers. And adds that this sonata is “one of the wonders of mankind.” It moves, and moves one, in a kind of exaltation, to borrow the word from Anton Kuerti. It was written between 1821 and 1822. ‘A long aria’, one could say of the big opening phrase – but it’s written in pianissimo, and as such, appears to us as if in a dream, or through a softening mist, an inspired effect. In a last similarity to the Appassionata both movements end with a fast coda (11:40), though here too, the similarity is outweighed by the contrast: Op. These are the highest points of my week right now. 27 No. This week I was supposed to be in Sacile, near Venice, filming the next block of sonatas at the concert hall of Fazioli. Then, while waiting for the new material to be released, I will be posting session notes from July: thoughts about the sonatas and a kind of diary of how the filming went each day. But I must admit a mistake of ignorance; when I was planning the cycle, I did not know that the two sonatas Op. There is an unhurried gentleness throughout, climaxes are broad and harmonious, and the many ‘simple’ chords (triads and their inversions) lend the music an aura of stability and calmness which we rarely associate with Beethoven. I see there a ballet for the fingers, with beautiful hand choreography implied in the music – stately steps in the left hand, slow wide leaps contrasted with fast-fingered runs in the right hand, all frozen on the page, awaiting a graceful reawakening. And the earthiness of the opening phrases is contrasted with the middle section of the theme, which is written legato and floats weightlessly in a higher part of the keyboard. A freshness emanates from the opening of the ‘Pastoral’ Sonata; its pulsing bass is akin to a beating heart, bearing the promise of a continuous, unstoppable flow. 16 in G major, Op. 20, Op. Last week I played all 5 Beethoven concerti in Brussels, for the first time in my life as a concentrated series. piece we know today as Andante favori, WoO 57. … and then the finale hits, and it is a bit of a shock at first – so utterly down-to-earth it is, with both feet on the ground and all ten fingers solidly on the keyboard. It's tremendously fun to play. The second and final movement (6:12) is a perpetuum mobile in calmly flowing semiquavers. I quote from the Raptus Association’s website: “In its metrical scheme … the movement is highly innovative. 16 was not one of those for me. Schiff concludes his 32nd lecture with the observation that this sonata exemplifies ‘gratitude to God to be able to write such music.’ That is, being alive allows one to reach beauty and interpret wonder. The form, too, is gradually becoming larger, the textures more generous, the writing more pianistic. Sonata No. 1 and the sonatas Op. The standout movement, for me, is the second one (7:46). 27 No. 2), a ‘grand piano concerto’ (No. I can barely imagine the impact this music must have had on its first listeners. 14 – the utterly lovely, fresh, charming couple of short sonatas, are not just an antithesis but an antidote to the Pathétique, as if Beethoven needed to cleanse his spirit with limpid tones after the extreme dark intensity of the preceding sonata. 12 Op. My teacher, Arie Vardi, used to say of this part of the work that ‘material melts and becomes spirit’, and it rings very true to me; this forms an unexpected connection with Beethoven’s last sonata, Op. 2 and the three sonatas, Op. Bold, full blooded and virtuosic, it blazes with vigour and youth. It's also temptingly easy to compare the C minor sonata, Op. Instead, my eyes skip to any mention of Italy in the news, as my heart and thoughts are with them and with that small corner of Italy in particular. The second movement is the dramatic core of the piece: an unfolding narrative, its opening an early embodiment of 'Innigkeit', this elusive word, part heartfelt, part hushed and awed, part personal and treasured. 5-7 over nine consecutive days over the New Year holidays. Everything is intense, yet small-scale, with abrupt mood shifts between the sharply defined sections. Its easy charm is lovingly explored by Beethoven – the movement is full of imaginative sonorities (the shimmering accompaniment to the melody at 20:23 is a highlight), interesting harmonies (for example the descending chromaticism at 22:08), and a natural, easy to follow (and easy to like) narrative. The content is clear: depictions of drums and trumpets. For the first time Beethoven uses a slow introduction, and an introduction of such weight you know something truly significant is going on. More confusing is his omission of triplet signs and dots, so that in Variation 2 some semiquavers are longer than others (depending on whether or not they are followed by a demisemiquaver—an unintentional revival of a medieval convention formerly applied to breves and semibreves). The second movement (10:59), a very slow atmospheric introduction to the finale, is at its heart a similar exploration of the opening motif – a longer note followed by an ascending intrval, the three bound by a dotted rhythm. Then things progressed during the second and general rehearsals of each concerto, but it was only during the concerts themselves that I felt that I got anywhere near touching whatever musical truth lies behind the scores. SUBSCRIBE  for a free selection of my writings. Here, spirituality is abundant, and Beethoven’s sense of colour, texture and register is exquisite. The original march-like movement returns at the very end, cautious and in pianissimo as if tiptoeing up to someone. © Copyright 2002-2021 Hendrik Slegtenhorst. 5 and 6. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 5. 4, during which I experienced something which until now I’ve only felt while playing Russian music: a kind of floating, when your brain disengages or splits in two. The nickname wouldn’t have held, had listeners and performers not felt it reflected some true part of the music’s core.

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