The Wisdom of Beethoven
Last night I had an opportunity rare even in a city such as New York: I sat within twenty feet of one of the world's finest classical pianists and listened to him talk about one of the greatest composers of all time.
Andras Schiff has done something not many pianists are capable of: record all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, as well as play the complete cycle in about twenty concert halls around the world. At Steinway Hall he engaged in a dialogue with Swiss critic Martin Meyer, punctuating his comments with trips to the grand piano behind him so that he could offer examples.
A few highlights:
•While many children are able to play Mozart well, they should refrain from playing Beethoven, who requires years of study as well as the maturity and vision that only come with age.
•Haydn was one of the first to introduce humor into music; Beethoven followed suit, but in an entirely different manner.
•Many interpreters don't play enough attention to Beethoven's writings, much less his metronome markings. But though the sonatas can withstand some degree of variation in tempo, these can't be too wide of the mark.
•Mozart composed for the piano as it existed in his lifetime; Beethoven composed for the piano of the future.
•The "Moonlight Sonata" is not meant to have the romantic image commonly associated with it; the first movement is too often played in a manner that erroneously enhances this "soft" feeling. In fact, the tempo should be a little faster than is commonly heard, drawing out a darker side that dissipates when the crisp, unpedaled chords of the second movement make their appearance.
•Schiff said he would love to play cello. He was also glad that he wasn't a child prodigy, and he decried the world of piano competitions.
I left with a copy of Volume VIII of his sonata series on ECM. It contains the three last sonatas, pieces that really only great players can handle properly. I will hopefully talk more about the Opus 111 at some point; it's my favorite Beethoven sonata, indeed probably my favorite single piece of music. Pollini's version has long been my gold standard, and remains so. I like Schiff's approach, particularly in the second movement, which requires a deft touch to draw forth the crystalline lightness of the variations, in which Beethoven creates the illusion of an ever-increasing tempo by steadily decreasing the note values. But the first movement needs a little more muscle, a little more speed, than Schiff gives it. In Pollini's hands it firms up perfectly; unlike other Beethoven sonatas, I think the wiggle room here is narrow, and playing just a little too slowly makes the whole thing start to sag a bit. But it's a minor quibble, and comes after only one listen. Schiff's tone is lumious, his touch crisp and assured, and I have no doubt his version of Beethoven's adieu to the sonata will stay on my short list of greats.
Andras Schiff has done something not many pianists are capable of: record all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, as well as play the complete cycle in about twenty concert halls around the world. At Steinway Hall he engaged in a dialogue with Swiss critic Martin Meyer, punctuating his comments with trips to the grand piano behind him so that he could offer examples.
A few highlights:
•While many children are able to play Mozart well, they should refrain from playing Beethoven, who requires years of study as well as the maturity and vision that only come with age.
•Haydn was one of the first to introduce humor into music; Beethoven followed suit, but in an entirely different manner.
•Many interpreters don't play enough attention to Beethoven's writings, much less his metronome markings. But though the sonatas can withstand some degree of variation in tempo, these can't be too wide of the mark.
•Mozart composed for the piano as it existed in his lifetime; Beethoven composed for the piano of the future.
•The "Moonlight Sonata" is not meant to have the romantic image commonly associated with it; the first movement is too often played in a manner that erroneously enhances this "soft" feeling. In fact, the tempo should be a little faster than is commonly heard, drawing out a darker side that dissipates when the crisp, unpedaled chords of the second movement make their appearance.
•Schiff said he would love to play cello. He was also glad that he wasn't a child prodigy, and he decried the world of piano competitions.
I left with a copy of Volume VIII of his sonata series on ECM. It contains the three last sonatas, pieces that really only great players can handle properly. I will hopefully talk more about the Opus 111 at some point; it's my favorite Beethoven sonata, indeed probably my favorite single piece of music. Pollini's version has long been my gold standard, and remains so. I like Schiff's approach, particularly in the second movement, which requires a deft touch to draw forth the crystalline lightness of the variations, in which Beethoven creates the illusion of an ever-increasing tempo by steadily decreasing the note values. But the first movement needs a little more muscle, a little more speed, than Schiff gives it. In Pollini's hands it firms up perfectly; unlike other Beethoven sonatas, I think the wiggle room here is narrow, and playing just a little too slowly makes the whole thing start to sag a bit. But it's a minor quibble, and comes after only one listen. Schiff's tone is lumious, his touch crisp and assured, and I have no doubt his version of Beethoven's adieu to the sonata will stay on my short list of greats.
posted by Paul Bennett at 10:54 AM
