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1 CD -
SK 63 365 - (p) 1998
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| VIVARTE - 60
CD Collection Vol. 2 - CD 6 |
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| Piano Concertos No. 5 -
Violin Concerto |
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71' 55" |
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| Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
(1770-1827) |
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| Concerto
for Piano & Orchestra No. 5 in E
flat major, Op. 73 "Emperor" |
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35' 48" |
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| - Allegro |
19' 30" |
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1
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Adagio un poco moto |
6' 43" |
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2
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Rondo. Allegro |
9' 35" |
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3
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Concerto
for Violin & Orchestra in D major,
Op. 61 *
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35'
53"
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Allegro ma non troppo |
19' 56" |
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4
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Larghetto |
7' 11" |
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5
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Rondo.Allegro |
8' 46" |
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6
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Jos
van Immerseel, fortepiano
(Tröndlin, early 19th century)
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Tafelmusik
on period instruments |
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Vera
Beths, violin
(A. Stradivarius, Cremona, 1727)
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Jeanne Lamon, music
director |
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| Cadenzas:
Anner Bylsma * |
Bruno
Weil, conductor |
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Luogo
e data di registrazione |
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Kursaal,
Bad Tölz (Germany) - 8/10
september 1997 |
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Registrazione:
live / studio |
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studio |
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Producer /
Recording supervisor |
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Wolf
Erichson |
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Recording Engineer
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Stephan
Schellmann (Tritonus) |
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Tape Editor /
Mastering |
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Stephan
Schellmann |
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Art Direction |
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Benita
Raphan |
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Prima Edizione LP |
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Prima Edizione CD |
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Sony
/ Vivarte - SK 63 365 - (1 CD) -
durata 71' 55" - (p) 1998 - DDD |
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Cover Art
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Palais
Rasumofsky, Wien (ca.1815)
by Louis v. Montoyer; Vienna,
Historisches Museum, Courtesy:
AKG, Berlin |
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Note |
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Beethoven
completed five piano concertos,
which nowadays count among his
most frequently played and
best-loved works for keyboard.
This great series was
concluded by the martial,
stunning E flat concerto that
Anglo-Saxon audiences have
termed the “Emperor.” The
Fifth Concerto was composed as
the French were
bombardingVienna in May
1809.There is no record of its
first Viennese performance -
if, indeed, it had one in the
chaotic aftermath of the
French occupation. The first
edition was brought out by
Muzio Clementi in London.
Dedicated to Archduke Rudolph
- the recipient of more great
pieces of music than anyone
else in history - the“Emperor”
Concerto is a unique blend of
brilliant piano writing,
spacious orchestration, formal
perfection and interesting
thematic material developed
with great intellectual
prowess.
Although Op. 73 officially ends
this series, Beethoven had by
no means given up the idea of
writing piano concertos. There
are extensive sketches for a
concerto that the composer
intended to write around 1816.
We do not know why he gave up
the idea, but it is a sad
thought that if only one of
his publishers had forced the
issue (and perhaps sealed it
with a case of wine) we should
have had what, from the
sketches,would appear to have
been a magnificent, large-scale
sixth concerto.
We may fondly imagine that
Beethoven`s five piano
concertos have always formed
the cornerstone of the form,
together with Mozart's mature
piano concertos. Yet those who
have studied the autobiography
of the great pianist Artur
Schnabel will know that in
Vienna at the turn of the
century this was not the case
at all. When Schnabel made his
debut at the age of eight, he
“played the D Minor concerto
by Mozart, still considered a
work accessible chiefly to
children - traditional
misconceptions of this sort
have an astonishing
longevity.” And if this
statement sounds
extraordinary, consider the
following: “During my
educational phase in Vienna
until 1899, I never heard, in
this most musical city on
earth, and in the midst of
musicians, of the existence of
the twenty-eight Concertos by
Mozart, or Beethoven's Opus
106 or the Diabelli
Variations, or Bach's Goldberg
Variations, etc. The G
major Concerto by Beethoven
was generally labelled, among
musicians, as the"ladies"
concerto. Hardly any of the
great pianists ever played it.
The C minor was only played in
conservatories by the lower
grades and the C major
Concerto only by the
debutantes. The B flat major
Concerto was simply unknown.”
We have come to think of
Beethoven as the one composer
who always survived the
vicissitudes of fluctuating
taste, but, as Schnabel
reminds us, even this is one
of music history's many
fallacies.
One of Beethoven's colleagues
and friends was the violinist
Franz Clement, who had been a
child prodigy, playing solo in
the Haydn/Solomon concerts in
London (1791) and also making
a successful tour of Europe.
In 1806, Beethoven wrote his
only violin concerto for
Clement, who gave the first
performance in the Theater an
der Wien, where he was leader
of the orchestra, on December
23, 1806 at his benefit
concert. A contemporary report
(Johann Nepomuk Möser) tells
us of the work`s favorable
reception: “The excellent
violinist Clement also played,
besides other beautiful
pieces, a Violin Concerto by
Beethhofen [sic] ,
which on account of its
originality and many beautiful
parts was received with
exceptional applause.
Clement's genuine art and
gracefulness, his power and
assurance on the violin -
which is his slave - called
forth the loudest bravos. As
regards Beethhofen's Concerto,
the verdict of the experts is
unanimous, allowing it many
beauties, but recognizing that
its scheme often seems
confused and that the unending
repetitions of certain
commonplace parts could easily
prove wearisome... This
Concerto was generally well
liked, and Clement's cadenzas
exceptionally well received."
Meanwhile, the famous
composer, Muzio Clementi, now
part-owner of an English
publishing house, came to
Vienna and wanted to engage
Beethoven for his firm. His
attempts, which were
successful, are detailed in
the following amusing letter
(written in English):
Messrs.
Clementi & Co.,
No. 26
Cheapside,
London.
Vienna, April 22nd, 1807
Dear
Collard:
By a
little management and
without committing myself,
I have at list made a
compleat conquest of that
haughty beauty,
Beethoven, who first began
at public places to grin
and coquet with rne, which
of course I took care not
to discourage; then slid
into familiar chat, till
meeting him by chance one
day in the street - “Where
doyou lodge?” says he; “I
have not seen you this long
while!" - upon which I
gave him my address. Two
days after I found on my
table his card brought by
himself, from the maid's
description of his lovely
form. This will do,
thought I. Three days
after that he calls again,
and finds me at home.
Conceive then the mutual
ecstasy of such a meeting!
I took pretty good care to
improve it to our house's
advantage, therefore, as
soon as decency would
allow, after praising very
handsomely some of his
compositions: “Are you
engaged with any publisher
in London?” - “No” says
he. “Suppose, then, that
you prefer me?” - “With
all my heart.”
“Done. What have you
ready?” - “I'll bring you
a list.” In short I agreed
with him to take in mss.
three quartets, a
syrnphony, an overture and
a concerto for the violin,
which is beautiful, and
which, at my request he
will adapt for pianoforte
with and without
additional keys; and a
concerto for the
pianoforte, for all which
we are to pay him two
hundred pounds sterling.
The property, however, is
only for the British
Domínions. To-day sets off
a courier for London
through Russia, and he
will bring over to you two
of the three mentioned
articles.
Remember
that the violin concerto
he will adapt hirnselƒand
send it as soon as he can.
As a result of
their meeting, Beethoven
rewrote the Violin Concerto
for piano, adding a remarkable
cadenza in the first movement
for piano and timpani, and
dedicating the arrangement to
the wife of his old friend
Stephan von Breuning, Julie
(née von Vering).
The Violin Concerto became a
model for the budding Romantic
violin concerto, particularly
the rhapsodic slow movement.
The opening movement shows a
remarkable application of a
single motif - in this case,
announced by five identical
notes on the timpani - for
large sections of the music.
The opening octaves of the
solo part have become a
tcxtbook case requiring
flawless bowing and finger-work
if it is to arrive in tune.
The rhythmically taut and
energetic finale shows a side
of Beethoven that we sometimes
tend to overlook - optimistic,
full of confidence and with a
matchless sense of formal
symmetry.
©
1998 H.C. Robbins London
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