what’s up in Amsterdam – Piano Sonata in B flat major, D.960 – Franz Schubert
by richibi
“The Doll“ / “Die Puppe“ (1934)
________
should you be concerned about telling
your Schubert from your Beethoven,
don’t fret, I myself, though considered
by some in this area to be omniscient,
however manifestly, as you’ll note here,
erroneously, upon watching a film last
night – the splendid ”Ex Machina”,
about a robot in the form of Alicia
Vikander, viscerally commanding in
neon blue, which is to say, incandescent,
with stainless steel and wires for body
parts – arms, legs, stomach – as part of
her more human, and curvaceous,
attributes – face, chest, and pelvis – who
fears she might be disassembled when
her purpose is served, and a new, and
better robot might not only take her
place, but also her very physical and
metaphysical components, and concocts
to save her life, if that’s what you’d call it,
however convincing, sophisticated, might
be her replication – confused the Schubert
sonata that filtered through the score for
one of Beethoven’s, though can you
blame me, when the sci-fi tale had been
so otherwise gripping
the D960, Schubert’s 23rd and last piano
sonata, was written in 1828, shortly before
he died, it is extraordinary, and entirely
worthy of being compared to Beethoven,
of being held, indeed, in equal
consideration
you’ll note again Schubert’s reserve, his
courtesy, he is philosophical, rather than
combative, his reply to Fate is acquiescent,
though never subordinate, his response to
the challenge of Life is to display the
colours, sounds, and other, however
humble, ephemeral, perhaps even
inconsequential, attributes of his existence,
with the grace of a very flower, whose
essence we still, today, have not ceased
to acknowledge, and to profoundly admire
this is our only answer, he states, our
ever so resplendent, however individual,
humanity, which it is our very salvation
to recount, to relate
Beethoven would surely have agreed,
and applauded
R ! chard
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