April 14, 2024
Spivey Hall
Morrow, GA – USA
Emanuel Ax, piano.
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No, 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (“Pathétique”)
Arnold SCHOENBERG: Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2
Arnold SCHOENBERG: Drei Klavierstücke (1894)
Arnold SCHOENBERG: Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”)
Mark Gresham | 17 APR 2024
The year 2024 marks the sesquicentennial of the birth of Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter Arnold Schoenberg. To be precise, his 150th birthday is this coming September 13.
It was, therefore, a unique and timely experience to witness three groups of Schoenberg’s early Klavierstücke (“Piano Pieces”) from his pre-dodecaphonic periods performed by esteemed pianist Emanuel Ax at Spivey Hall this past Sunday. Ax meaningfully paired these pieces with three piano sonatas of another musical game-changer: Ludwig van Beethoven.
There are some valid points of comparison between Beethoven and pre-dodecaphonic Schoenberg, particularly their exploration of form and expression that brought each out of their beginnings in traditions of an era they would each outgrow.
Ax interleaved the two composers’ works, judiciously placing a Beethoven Sonata at the recital’s beginning and the ends of the first and second half — indeed, a programming choice one might imagine geared to comfort a listener potentially leery of Schoenberg.
However, Ax also arranged them in chronological pairs: The “middle” pieces, by composition date, were first, followed by the earliest and latest of each composer’s works represented.
Ax opened with assured familiarity: Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No, 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (“Pathétique”), which remains one of his most celebrated compositions, its nickname added by Beethoven’s publisher due to the sonata’s perceived “tragic” sonic characteristics, particularly the opening (and recurring) “Grave” section of the first movement. We can hear in this Beethoven leaning forward away from “Classical” toward “Romantic” expression at the need of his “first period” of compositional style.
Emanuel Ax performs a recital of works by Schoenberg and Beethoven at Spivey Hall, April 14, 2024. (credit: Rand Lines)
The other “middle child” of the program followed that. Arnold Schoenberg composed Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11, in 1909. The first two pieces mark his definitive departure from traditional tonality in Western music—a move away from the common-practice harmony of previous centuries prompted by the perceived overextension of tonal functionality in the works of composers like Wagner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss, as well as Schoenberg’s own earlier compositions. While traces of tonal elements remain, they are difficult to analyze within a tonal framework. No single key definitively dominates the structure.
The three pieces find unity in such an “atonal” musical space by incorporating material from the first piece into the others, including recurring motifs. The third piece is particularly innovative with its atomization and recombination of musical elements.
These compositions lack traditional motivic repetition or development and reject notions of balance and goal-oriented movement. Schoenberg likened these developments to contemporary trends in visual art, describing them as akin to Kandinsky’s paintings—a continuous flow of colors, rhythms, and moods without architectural structure.
Next came the two earliest pieces Ax selected from each composer., albeit with the intermission coming between them.
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2, composed in 1795 and dedicated to Joseph Haydn, showcases Beethoven’s early “classical” brilliance.
The first movement is full of athleticism and cheerful character. The “Largo” second movement begins with imitating string quartet-style writing and features contrapuntal thinking. The “Scherzo” third movement is short and graceful. The finale is a lyrical rondo. It remains “classical” in expression, yet Beethoven’s personality is already in the bud.
Likewise, Schoenberg’s other early Drei Klavierstücke (1898, no opus number) is rooted in the influences of its era and could easily be mistaken for Brahms.
The final two works on the program were chronologically the latest: Schoenberg’s Sechs kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19, illustrates the full shift from Romanticism towards modernist expression, pushing farther beyond traditional boundaries than the Op. 11, but still within his period of “free atonality” before he developed his dodecaphonic (“12-tone”) method of composition.
Written in a single day on February 19, 1911, the first five of these kleine Klavierstücke were initially intended to stand as a set. Then Schoenberg added the sixth piece shortly after Gustav Mahler’s death on June 17, 1911, most likely as a tribute to Mahler.
Each of the six pieces is exceptionally brief yet distinctive, reflecting an expressionist aesthetic. The entire set lasts about five minutes, encapsulating traditional musical models into miniature forms. Schoenberg viewed this style as a response to tonality’s fading influence, influencing his pupil Anton Webern, known for concise compositions. Once again, while it was the last-composed work on the program and commonly labeled atonal, it predates Schoenberg’s later twelve-tone technique.
You could say it is a “middle-period” Schoenberg piece, like the Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”) is from Beethoven’s middle period.
Pianist Emanuel Ax at Spivey Hall, April 14, 2024. (credit: Rand Lines)
The “Appassionata” Sonata closed the program. It was written in 1803, during a time marked by Beethoven’s acceptance of his progressive hearing loss. The “Appassionata” is one of his most challenging piano sonatas, and certainly the most tumultuous until his third-period “Hammerklavier” Sonata (No. 29, Op. 106).
At first glance, Schoenberg’s Sechs kleine Klavierstücke and Beethoven’s “Appassionata” may seem worlds apart in terms of style and era, but they share notable characteristics.
Both exhibit a high level of emotional intensity and expressiveness. Both composers pushed the boundaries of musical tradition in their respective works. Additionally, both pieces require a high level of technical skill and interpretive insight from the performer, which they got in spades from Ax. Beethoven’s Sonata No. 23 demands virtuosic technique to navigate its dramatic peaks and valleys, while Schoenberg’s kleine Klavierstücke presents challenges in its unconventional harmonic language and intricate textures.
One can make similar comparisons with the other two pairs of works.
In programming all these thoughtfully selected works by Beethoven and Schoenberg on a single recital program, Ax successfully highlighted each composer’s artistic merits and provided audiences with a fascinating juxtaposition of two distinct musical voices as they evolved. All in all, it was a thought-provoking program performed by a true master of the keyboard.
Ax’s encore was a departure from the main program: Chopin’s Nocturne in C♯ minor, Op. 27, No. 1. Or maybe not so far a departure as it may seem. After all, Chopin also had his own innovations that contributed to the evolution of piano music. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Emanuel Ax: emanuelax.com
- Spivey Hall: spiveyhall.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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