Beethoven Cello Sonata no 1, opus 5, no 1
__________
through the good graces of a friend
of mine, a musicologist, who writes
the programmes for the chamber
music presentations put on by our
city’s recital society, pithy, pungent
pieces to prepare the patrons for
their palpitating performances, I had
the not only unfettered privilege but
also the undiluted glee, yes, glee, of
seeing, hearing, two internationally
acclaimed artists deliver works for
piano and cello of Beethoven, one
of them one of my very favourite
compositions, the opus 5, no 1
unable to find anything by these two
of anything of Beethoven’s, I struck
upon, instead, these two others,
titans in their field, the very two who
defined for me this exuberant sonata
in the eighties, wherein Beethoven
was finding, to my mind, his chops,
nothing before this, of his nevertheless
extraordinary output, had inspired me,
the early piano sonatas still sound to
my ear didactic, like someone putting
together academic theory, where here
Beethoven lets his spirit fly, let’s the
music running through him deliver,
carry unimpeded the fire, the charge
is electric
eccentricities abound, there are only
two movements, the first sports two
tempi, an introductory, hesitant,
segment giving way to the second
unfettered one, the contrast a move
in the direction of drama, I think,
highlighting context, narrative, an
aesthetic inspired, I’m sure, by
opera, and its combative
peregrinations
Beethoven wrote one opera, not at all
the equal of his other productions,
words were to get in the way of his
instrumental, it appears, music, his
more direct, ultimately,
communication
though you’ll not want to miss, from
“Fidelio“, his “Mir ist so wunderbar“,
a vocal quartet of the very highest
order
mir ist, you’ll say, so wunderbar,
indeed
Richard
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