Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Opus 27, No. 1, Quasi una fantasia (1801)

Transcription

1 Concert of Wednesday, February 28, 2018, at 8:00p Jonathan Biss, piano Ludwig van Beethoven ( ) Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Opus 2, No. 1 (1795) I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Menuetto. Allegretto IV. Prestissimo Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Opus 14, No. 1 (1798-9) I. Allegro II. Allegretto III. Rondo. Allegro commodo Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Opus 27, No. 1, Quasi una fantasia (1801) I. Andante; Allegro; Tempo I II. Allegro molto e vivace III. Adagio con espressione IV. Allegro Vivace; Tempo I; Presto Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Opus 26 (1801) I. Andante con Variazioni II. Scherzo. Allegro molto III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d un Eroe. Maestoso Andante IV. Allegro Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Opus 53, Waldstein (1804) I. Allegro con brio II. Introduzione. Adagio molto

2 III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato

3 Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer

4 Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized in Bonn, Germany, on December 17, 1770, and died in Vienna, Austria, on March 26, In the 1790s, Beethoven ascended to prominence in Vienna as a brilliant virtuoso pianist, albeit an iconoclastic one. Audiences accustomed to the elegant and refined brilliance of such virtuosos as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Muzio Clementi were stunned by the elemental force of Beethoven s attacks upon the delicate fortepianos of the day. Beethoven s keyboard performances consisted of far more than displays of force. Pianist and composer Carl Czerny recalled that audience members were moved to tears by the eloquence of Beethoven s improvisational powers at the keyboard, for apart from the beauty and originality of his ideas, and his ingenious manner of expressing them, there was something magical about his playing. Another element of Beethoven s keyboard magic was his masterful plasticity of phrasing that, according to first-hand accounts, employed unerring dynamic contrast and subtle tempo modification. Beethoven composed numerous works for solo piano that he performed to considerable acclaim. The tragic onset of deafness in the early 1800s soon brought Beethoven s career as a concert pianist to an early close. It s not surprising that Beethoven composed 18 of his 32 Piano Sonatas during the years Nevertheless, as in the case of the symphony and string quartet, Beethoven continued to compose piano sonatas almost to the end of his life. As such, these works offer a treasured window into Beethoven s growth and development as an artist. Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Opus 2, No. 1 (1795) Approximate performance time is twenty minutes. Beethoven dedicated the Piano Sonatas published in 1796 as his Opus 2, Nos. 1-3, to his former teacher, Franz Joseph Haydn. The Opus 2 Piano Sonatas provided a showcase for Beethoven s unique qualities as a keyboard artist. Typical of many of Beethoven s early works, the Opus Two Sonatas both acknowledge the Classical era of Haydn and Mozart, and offer glimpses of the revolutionary path the composer would take in just a few years time. I. Allegro The Sonata opens with an immediate presentation of the principal, ascending theme. A contrasting lyrical descending theme is followed by yet another, marked con espressione. The vibrant development section opens with a variant of the opening theme. A forte restatement of that theme ushers in the recapitulation, ultimately capped by the fortissimo closing statement. II. Adagio The Sonata s slow-tempo movement, in F Major, is based upon a noble, flowing melody (marked dolce), introduced in the opening bars. The lovely permutations of the melody suggest eyewitness accounts of Beethoven s genius at improvisation. The Adagio finally resolves to a pianissimo conclusion.

5 III. Menuetto. Allegretto Beethoven eschews the traditional three-movement sonata of his time for one in four movements by adding a Minuet. The minor-key setting, sudden dynamic contrasts, and sforzando attacks conjure a troubled atmosphere. The central Trio, in F Major, features an eighth-note moto perpetuo theme. A reprise of the Minuet concludes the movement. IV. Prestissimo The finale opens with scurrying triplet figures in the left hand, serving as accompaniment for a terse, three-note theme that alternates piano and forte dynamics. The restless energy of this opening section yields to a relaxed, lyrical episode, featuring a melody marked sempre piano e dolce. The three-note theme begins to insinuate itself once again, leading to a recapitulation of the opening section and the brilliant conclusion. Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Opus 14, No. 1 (1798-9) Approximate performance time is fourteen minutes. I. Allegro The flowing initial principal theme, with insistent left hand accompaniment, is introduced at the outset. The second principal theme, launched by a descending figure, incorporates chromatic and contrapuntal elements. The traditional development and recapitulation are capped by a final statement of the opening theme. II. Allegretto The second movement, in E minor and ¾ time, is a melancholy dance. There is a second, contrasting episode in C Major. It leads to a reprise of the opening, and a brief invocation of the second episode. III. Rondo. Allegro commodo The principal theme of the Rondo finale (as in the first movement) is paired with insistent left hand accompaniment. High spirits and fleet passagework abound as the finale sprints to a forte close. Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Opus 27, No. 1, Quasi una fantasia (1801) Approximate performance time is sixteen minutes. Beethoven referred to each of Opus 27, Nos. 1 and 2, as a Sonata quasi una Fantasia. In both, Beethoven departs from the traditional sonata-form opening movement, here with atmospheric and improvisatory music, set in an expansive tempo. I. Andante; Allegro; Tempo I The Sonata s four movements are played without pause. The first, in A B A form, is based upon a chorale, played to a tripping sixteenth note accompaniment. Variations on the theme lead to a whirlwind episode (Allegro), also related to the chorale. The movement concludes with a varied reprise of the initial episode. II. Allegro molto e vivace The second movement is a brief scherzo, whose principal theme incorporates and juxtaposes the first movement chorale s ascending and descending accompaniment. A jaunty central section leads to a reprise of the initial scherzo.

6 III. Adagio con espressione The brief slow-tempo movement, also in A B A form, concludes with a cadenza-like passage, leading directly to the finale. IV. Allegro Vivace; Tempo I; Presto The finale opens with the first principal theme of a movement that combines elements of both rondo and sonata forms. The tireless energy of the opening episode seems destined to continue unabated to the finish. Suddenly, a reminiscence from the slow-tempo third movement (Tempo I) makes an unexpected appearance. The mood quickly changes once again, as a brief Presto concludes the work. Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Opus 26 (1801) Approximate performance time is nineteen minutes. I. Andante con Variazioni Instead of the traditional quick-tempo sonata-form first movement, Beethoven opens with a theme and variations initially set in a broad tempo. The beautiful principal theme is introduced at the outset. While the ensuing five variations are fully transcribed, they evoke eyewitness accounts of Beethoven s ability to move his audiences to tears through his genius at improvisation. II. Scherzo. Allegro molto The brief and vibrant second movement Scherzo is similar in character and melodic contour to the third movement of Beethoven s First Symphony (1800). After a contrasting Trio section, the Scherzo returns to close the movement. III. Marcia funebre sulla morte d un Eroe. Maestoso andante Beethoven replaces the expected lyrical slow-tempo movement with a Funeral March in Memory of a Hero. The music s tragic cast, insistent dotted-rhythms, brief contrasting major-key episode, and resigned conclusion all look forward to the epic Funeral March in Beethoven s revolutionary Eroica Symphony (1803). IV. Allegro In sharp contrast to the preceding Funeral March, the finale, in rondo form, is playful and life-affirming from start to finish. The scurrying principal theme recurs throughout, finally resolving to a pianissimo close. Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Opus 53, Waldstein (1804) Approximate performance time is twenty-three minutes. Beethoven dedicated his Sonata No. 21 to Count Ferdinand Waldstein. Count Waldstein, who met the young Beethoven in Bonn, was himself a musician of some talent. He is credited both with providing financial assistance, and encouraging Beethoven to develop his gifts at keyboard improvisation. Count Waldstein was also instrumental in obtaining permission for Beethoven to travel to Vienna in 1792 to study with Haydn. In later years, Ferdinand Waldstein came upon hard financial times. It also appears that he and Beethoven had some sort of falling out. But Count Waldstein will be forever immortalized in music history, thanks to Beethoven s dedication of one of the great Piano Sonatas of the composer s Middle Period.

7 I. Allegro con brio Insistent, hushed eighth notes culminate in a four-note motif. This sequence is explored at length. A brief, angular statement precedes the noble second theme, a chorale in E Major. A variant of the chorale in triplet form plays an important role in the ensuing development, launched by a reprise of the opening sequence. In the development section (and indeed, throughout the Waldstein Sonata), the remarkably challenging writing produces strikingly rich, complex sonorities. Toward the close of the development, hushed mystery yields to a fortissimo cascade, and the start of the recapitulation. The extended coda features a reprise of the chorale, followed by the opening sequence, and the emphatic final measures. II. Introduzione. Adagio molto Beethoven originally composed an extended slowtempo movement for the Waldstein Sonata. But ultimately, Beethoven substituted this brief Introduction (the original second movement became a free-standing concert work, the Andante favori, WoO 57). A repeated dotted-rhythm motif develops into a noble, lyric statement. Repetitions of the motif herald the finale, which follows without pause. III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato The Rondo finale s radiant central theme, introduced in hushed dynamics, emerges in all its glory following an extended trill. An expansive sequence, opening in C minor, culminates in a fortissimo C Major restatement of the central melody. The finale s arresting vitality momentarily abates, leading to the concluding whirlwind Prestissimo, and the exultant final bars.