Okay, Seth, I know you're probably looking to move on but I've gotta share one more with Arrau and these remarkable sonatas.
(and understanding the following quote from Arrau in close relation to Beethoven's sonatas, most especially his 32nd, will change one's musical life forevermore)
"For me, Beethoven has always stood for the spirit of man victorious… In the sense that he mastered both his life and his art to reach the ultimate heights of creation and transfiguration, he will last as long as man's spirit to prevail lasts on earth… In the end, he reached a mystical union with the godhead, as it were, and on a higher plane of transcendence than almost anyone else in the history of Western art. Nowhere throughout his work is this struggle and final transcendence seen more clearly than in the body of the complete 32 piano sonatas, where Beethoven's creative development may be perceived in one unbroken line of continuous evolution from the forthright first sonatas Op. 2 to the other-world metaphysical language of Op. 111… Where did the ability come for Beethoven to overcome even the titanic in himself and enter spheres of such transcendent meaning as were never encountered in music before or, in all truth, since? Who could really foretell such a span of evolution which sees him create at the end what can only be called a metaphysical language of music – a musical language where trills become a trembling of the soul and arpeggios reach out into the infinite altogether, as in the Adagio espressivo sections of the opening movement of Op. 109. In Op. 111, the variations which follow the statement of the sublime Arietta are not even called variations, and rightly so because they are not variations in the usual sense but transformations and transfigurations of the theme. Here Beethoven reaches cosmic spaces which open up into infinitude, into a state of mystical rapture, which Goethe called "the fall upward" … As Hans Mersmann has written, "It is a great process of dissolving into which we are drawn, one of dematerialisation which dissolves all outlines. The solid turns into the flowing, the existence in time into the timeless eternal”. But the wondrous thing about Beethoven is that this metaphysical language which reaches such heights and depths of human longing and transcendence and transfiguration is always expressed through purely musical means… This transformation and illumination that is achieved at the end of his life is truly so unique that one searches almost in vain for its counterpart in music, literature, or painting".
Not at all. Enjoying the discussion as much if not more than my boring posts. Also on vacation, so not at a computer right now/harder to write things up.
Not at all. Enjoying the discussion as much if not more than my boring posts. Also on vacation, so not at a computer right now/harder to write things up.
Wow, that quote and recording is incredibly powerful. Hans Mersmann describes perfectly what I fail to say why "humanities" or the "arts" are what I try and spend all my "free time" doing. The "hit" you get when you transcend what it is into what it does for your soul/mind. Call it catharsis or a demon/genius as Goethe called it... it's the essence of life. I loved watching him play as well. I hadn't heard of him before, so thank you for introducing me into a whole new world I'd been missing out on. And yes, this is my first list of Salieri, and have always thought of him in light of Mozart, but
Era: Classical
Year: 1799 - Falstaff (although I was more privy to the 1815 work of 26 Variations on 'La folia di Spagna'
Form: Rondo (well for half of it): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondo
Score: 84
I really should be slowing down on this and cataloging it better... like which pieces/movements, etc. I like. Right now I'm doing a very lazy overall feel of these "albums" and am realizing that while it's giving me a good "survey" I'm not documenting as well as I'd like.
Anyway, most of this was ok to good. I came here originally for the Falstaff overture and just a sampling of Salieri. I'm glad I chose to sample instead of finding a full performance of Falstaff. Typically an opera's overture is an indicator how great the opera is (that I've noticed so far) and it's pretty generic imo. He was supposedly the man for opera during Mozart's time, but I liked Mozart's overture's better. Maybe I should give him more a shot... we'll see.
Quote:
What makes Salieri's Variations on "La follia di spagna" noteworthy is that it is one of only very few sets of successful orchestral variations that was written before the late Romantic period, when the form became more popular after Brahms' 1873 Haydn Variations. Salieri's take on the famous Portuguese (not Spanish, as the title suggests) theme La Folia is fundamentally an exercise in orchestration. His score calls for strings, woodwinds, brass, harp, percussion, and tambourine, all featured at some point over the 26 variations. Salieri does not use any sophisticated variation techniques, such as inversion, nor does he alter the meter of the theme for much of the work or even the key until the very end. Instead he relies on rhythm and instrumentation to create the variations. The D minor theme is stated by the clarinets and bassoons in a stately manner, similar to the Sarabande in Handel's Harpsichord Suite, Vol. 2, No. 3, HWV 436. The variations, each lasting less than a minute, alternate between those for full orchestra and those for one to four soloists and accompaniment by either the full orchestra or just strings or winds. In the variations featuring the full orchestra -- such as No. 5, the somewhat martial No. 8, No. 13 (foreshadowing Philip Glass with its constant arpeggios), and the gigue-like No. 24 -- he is able to achieve tonal colors worthy of Beethoven. Others that stand out are No. 4 for harp; No. 10, which features the percussion instruments; the Italian concerto grosso-like No. 11; No. 17, wherein the woodwinds pass the melody figure to each other from high to low, flute to bassoon, to tympani; and No. 18, which has two distant violins echoing the full orchestra. The final variation goes through all the soloists once more, for good measure, then into a full orchestral coda that makes its way to D major with the call of the horns and flourishes of the violin and harp.
Well, here's something to cleanse the palate if you will. With all these great works sometimes I'm losing my grasp on the more finite details of "good, better, best". This clearly is not great. It's nice. But something I can easily say I wouldn't return to. It's fun... it sounds like birds. But probably best fits as a feel good hit of the summer than anything else. I did like the mixture of woodwinds and thought that aspect was pretty cool. It didn't suck, but it wasn't even of the better class. 79 is when things start getting points taken away if you will...
Well, here's something to cleanse the palate if you will. With all these great works sometimes I'm losing my grasp on the more finite details of "good, better, best". This clearly is not great. It's nice. But something I can easily say I wouldn't return to. It's fun... it sounds like birds. But probably best fits as a feel good hit of the summer than anything else. I did like the mixture of woodwinds and thought that aspect was pretty cool. It didn't suck, but it wasn't even of the better class. 79 is when things start getting points taken away if you will...
To the best of my recollection, I've never heard anything by Danzi before.
Maybe not a top tier work, but I enjoyed it greatly nonetheless. The Salieri rather less so, although there was certainly nothing wrong with it.
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Salieri undoubtedly has some great Opera, but I think for this moment I'm ok moving on. I've become a little obsessed with his variations lately though.
Writing from my phone and all I'll say for now is I really liked this recording. They work the trills and dynamics together very nicely. Probably a 90.
EDIT:
While the Spring, Kreutzer, 10 and 7 were my favorites, the whole set is fantastic. Incredibly intriguing trills/runs. Often those can get boringly verbose if used too much, but I indeed liked that much pepper in my sausage (there's a german saying that's something like thank you's and apologies are like pepper in a sausage, use them only once/sparingly/as needed). It tingled instead of saturated. Beautiful. Then the dynamics - wow, so much power yet serenity. Have I said Beautiful yet?
Thanks AfterHours! I'll post your example here (although I think Perlman nails the very high end doublestops/notes better, even if there might be more emotion in the recording you shared - thanks!)
Although the "Kreutzer" Sonata, Op. 47, is dedicated to Rodolphe Kreutzer, the original dedication was to George P. Bridgetower (1779-1860), for whom the piece was written. Bridgetower, an African-Polish violinist who lived in London, toured Europe in 1802 and 1803. Upon his arrival in Vienna he was introduced by Prince Lichnowsky to Beethoven, who set about fashioning two movements to precede a finale he had originally intended for the Op. 30/1 sonata. Because the date for Bridgetower's concert had been set, Beethoven had to work quickly to complete the virtuosic piece before its first performance by Bridgetower and the composer on May 24, 1803.
Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831) was a French violinist of great renown whom Beethoven met in Vienna in 1798. Beethoven's decision to dedicate the sonata to Kreutzer instead of Bridgetower was probably related to his intended move to Paris and a wish to ingratiate himself with French musical luminaries. (Beethoven was also considering "Bonaparte" as a title for his Third Symphony.) Legend has it that Beethoven changed the dedication because he and Bridgetower quarreled over a woman. Kreutzer most likely never knew of the dedication, and it is almost certain that he never played the piece.
The "Kreutzer" Sonata was published in 1805 by Simrock in Bonn and Birchall in London. Beethoven described the piece as "written in a very concertante style, like that of a concerto," explaining the internal conflict generally associated with his larger works. Furthermore, the piano writing is much more powerful than in preceding works, anticipating the piano sonatas Opp. 53 and 54.
Beethoven's "new path" is everywhere evident in the first movement of the "Kreutzer" Sonata. The only slow introduction Beethoven ever wrote for a violin sonata is actually the only portion of the movement in A major, which gives way to A minor at the beginning of the Presto sonata-form section. Although thematic material is very abundant, Beethoven focuses on one theme from the closing group throughout the development, which spirals progressively deeper into flat-key territory, realizing the implications of B flat major's brief appearance early in the exposition. Development of the first theme does not occur until the lengthy, weighty coda, which is much more symphonic than chamber-style in conception. The vast dimensions and free formal treatment of Beethoven's great middle-period works are not far away.
More lighthearted than the preceding movement, the central Andante, in F major, is a set of variations. The third of the four variations is in the tonic minor. In each variation, Beethoven stretches the melodic aspect of the theme nearly beyond recognition while maintaining the harmonic progression and pattern of repetition of the original.
A tarantella rhythm and 6/8 time contribute to the finale's atmosphere of interminable forward motion, which is enhanced by the introduction of the first theme in a fugal treatment, The sonata-form movement features a second theme on the dominant and in 2/4, which shifts immediately back to 6/8 for the closing material. Because it was originally intended for the Sonata in A major, Op. 30/1, the finale was extant months before Beethoven composed the first two movements. The prominence of F major in the development section of the finale may have prompted Beethoven to compose the Andante in that key, as well as to touch on flat keys in the first movement. In Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata, the work symbolizes the ultimate in the powerful sensuous appeal of music.
Just first movements for the sample - totally worth listening to the whole thing:
This, Beethoven's fifth violin sonata, was the first to break away from the Classical three-movement sonata format. It was a tentative breach, though; the new Scherzo is barely more than a minute long. The work breaks with the eighteenth century in other ways, particularly in the relaxed lyricism that suffuses each movement.
The opening Allegro begins with one of those generously lyrical themes, sung by the violin over delicate keyboard accompaniment. A second theme group is busier and more clouded, but the soft sunlight soon returns in the curvaceous opening melody. In the development section, Beethoven uncharacteristically gives equal attention to all his themes, but he casts the opening tune in a minor key, maintaining an unsettled (though never violent) feeling throughout the section. The slow movement, Adagio molto espressivo, shifts to the key of B flat and a deeply pensive mood. The piano first presents the nostalgic melody, upon which the violin then meditates for a while. The two instruments then engage in a gentle dialogue based on this theme. The witty third movement, Scherzo & Trio, Allegro molto, begins and ends with a brief stop-and-start tune, with the violin deliberately out of sync with the piano. In the middle comes a very brief, skittering passage for both instruments. The final movement is far more substantial. A rondo marked Allegro ma non troppo, it begins in a pleasant, rather courtly Mozartean style. This refrain returns in various guises, though never significantly altered; in between are minor mode passages of some agitation and modest drama, although the sunny disposition of the main theme wins out in the end.
Beethoven composed the Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 96, just before a near cessation of serious music composition in 1813. The gradual reduction in output after 1812 may have been related to Beethoven's unsuccessful search for a woman with whom to share his life, which apparently reached its apex in the fall of 1812 with the "Immortal Beloved" crisis. The year 1812, however, saw the completion of the Seventh and Eighth symphonies and the Op. 96 Violin Sonata, as well as an expansion of Beethoven's fame and reputation both at home and abroad. By this time his works appeared on concert programs as frequently as those of Mozart and Haydn.
The Sonata in G major was written for celebrated French violinist Pierre Rode and dedicated to Archduke Rudolph, a patron and student of Beethoven. Rode and the Archduke gave the first public performance of the sonata on December 29, 1812, four years before the work was published in Vienna by Steiner. Sketched in early or mid-1812, the sonata was completed in November, just after Beethoven had returned from visiting his brother in Linz, where he had finished the Eighth Symphony. The Op. 96 sonata features none of the tempestuousness of the "Kreutzer" Sonata, and Sydney Finkelstein has written that "the mood [of Op. 96] is one of gentle lyricism, with but glimpses of the profound depths of experience and conquest of pain that had made possible the achievement of this serenity." The work provides an unexpected close to Beethoven's so-called "middle" period.
From the outset of the first movement it is clear that the symphonic energy of the "Kreutzer" Sonata is nowhere to be found. Beethoven forgoes the slow introduction and the tempo Presto intensity, creating a more contemplative atmosphere. However, we still find an abundance of material, with numerous thematic elements in the exposition, in the middle of which a hint of B flat major anticipates the "flat key" passages in the recapitulation and the E flat major key of the second movement. The falling, sighing segment of the second closing theme dominates the development section, which subtly trills its way into the recapitulation. As in the first movement of the Op. 47 sonata, developmental treatment of the first theme occurs only in the extended coda. The hymn-like harmonic movement of the opening theme creates a sense of repose in the second movement. Marked Adagio espressivo, the sonata-form structure lacks a development section, a typical attribute of slow-movement sonata form. Beethoven indicated there be no break between the Adagio and the ensuing Scherzo. Beethoven cast the Scherzo in G minor, followed by a Trio in E flat major. The Scherzo section, with its detached melody and accompaniment, ends in such a way that the transition to G major in the coda is almost imperceptible. The only surprise is that the movement ends in the major, not the minor. Pastoral qualities permeate the finale, a set of variations on a simple, eight-measure theme. The variations proceed without interruption, at one point changing from 2/4 to 6/8 meter for a slow lyrical segment that pushes toward E flat major and a literal statement of the theme before moving on to the next variation. A G minor variation that resembles the first theme of the first movement precedes a return to the finale theme on the tonic key. Beethoven closes with a witty, Adagio-Presto coda. - Description by John Palmer, AllMusic
Beethoven composed this sonata at about the same time he wrote his "Heiligenstadt Testament," an unsent jeremiad addressed to his brothers, detailing his anguished state of mind (his deafness was becoming acute at the moment of his greatest success). The C minor sonata may be grim, but it is hardly suicidal; it is Beethoven in his most famous mood, an initially depressive state that is gradually overcome through a spasm of anti-Fate fist-shaking.
The Allegro con brio is built upon an initial theme that is simultaneously morbid, dramatic, and defiant. Contrast comes through a lighter but still minor march-like subject. All this drifts into a pianissimo development of primarily the first subject (Beethoven's developments were often lopsided). This theme, in its original form, returns to launch a long coda that struggles to climb into C major before lapsing roughly back to C minor.
Things mellow out in the Adagio cantabile, with the singing main melody first taking on elaborate ornamentation, then stripping down to its most essential notes, dissolving into a scalar passage, and returning in essentially its original form on the violin, while the piano generates a restless accompaniment. Such light variations continue at length, never really altering the tranquil character or melodic shape of the basic material.
The short Scherzo, in which C major at last asserts itself, dances to playfully rough rhythms that occasionally devolve into argumentative, stomping rhetoric for both instruments. The trio section is an overbearing, little canon for the violin and the left hand of the piano that is amusing in its determined lack of humor.
The finale, Allegro, takes sonata-rondo form. The recurring main theme isn't melodic at all; it's more the sort of suspenseful harmonic sequence that accompanies a rising curtain. The contrasting episodes are more earnest in their melodies, and have a generally positive nature except for a dramatic moment midway through, and the striving (though not defeated) character of the last interlude. The furious coda casts doubt on the optimistic nature of the inner movements, as if to end the sonata with one final warning shake of the fist. -Description by James Reel, AllMusic
Last edited by RoundTheBend on 09/14/2019 20:16; edited 3 times in total
Salieri undoubtedly has some great Opera, but I think for this moment I'm ok moving on. I've become a little obsessed with his variations lately though.
Writing from my phone and all I'll say for now is I really liked this recording. They work the trills and dynamics together very nicely. Probably a 90.
Yes! Perlman & Ashkenazy is undoubtedly among the great sets. I'd probably rank Dumay/Pires 2002 set at the very top. Their Kreutzer is probably unbeatable (I gave it a rare 10 for Performance Quality on my Best Recordings list).
Wow, that quote and recording is incredibly powerful. Hans Mersmann describes perfectly what I fail to say why "humanities" or the "arts" are what I try and spend all my "free time" doing. The "hit" you get when you transcend what it is into what it does for your soul/mind. Call it catharsis or a demon/genius as Goethe called it... it's the essence of life. I loved watching him play as well. I hadn't heard of him before, so thank you for introducing me into a whole new world I'd been missing out on.
For sure! Extraordinary stuff, extraordinary artist (greatest pianist of all time?). You're welcome! _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
The Kreutzer has always been my favorite. The one recording I own is a Naxos disc with Takako Nishizaki and Jeno Jando. It is a perfectly fine recording, but I can't imagine anything competing with Perlman and Ashkenazy on this one.
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AfterHours
RoundTheBend
Fischman
