twice upon a violin concerto – Beethoven / Paganini
by richibi
“The Violin Lesson“ (1889)
_______
to juxtapose two things for consideration,
to my mind, is the best way to sharpen
both one’s aesthetic and, therefore,
spiritual personality, here, thus, are
two contemporaneous, essentially,
violin concertos, concerti, if you like,
Paganini’s 5th, 1830, Beethoven’s
Only, 1806
let me point out that the Classical Era
is over at this point, this isn’t music
for the courts any longer, but music
as spectacle, you can hear it, it’s like
moving from Frank Sinatra‘s
nightclubs to David Bowie’s stadiums
noteworthy about these two pieces is
that the structure in each is identical,
the same lengthy introduction in the
first movement, followed by an
articulate, and eventually mesmerizing,
elaboration on the initial melody by
the soloist, with divergent, however,
intentions, Paganini starts with a
fanfare, promises histrionics, delivers
fireworks, Beethoven begins with
portent, goes instead for drama,
which is to say, your heart, as well
both their second and third movements
are essentially, then, indistinguishable
conceptually, their last movement in
either is even a rondo
the challenge in the Paganini is physical,
the glory is in the player’s technical
prowess
with Beethoven the requirements are
both physical and emotional, he
punches for the heart, which the
player must, therefore, with equally
astounding panache, incidentally,
also conquer
style, in other words, over substance,
substance over style, which is to say
“The Phantom of the Opera“, for
instance, or Cirque du Soleil,
Rachmaninov, maybe, versus
Liberace, you are the judge
history has sided, however, with
substance, Beethoven’s Violin
Concerto is everywhere, it isn’t at
all easy, conversely, to come up
with any of Paganini’s, despite
their incontestable magnificence
maybe it’s time for a Paganini
revival, they did that several years
ago for the inimitable Rossini, an
effervescent light in an otherwise
mostly dour 19th Century, listen,
with counts and countesses here
in attendance, at very, can you
believe it, Versailles, wow
R ! chard