by Susan Jacobs
Beethoven: Sonata No. 17 in D minor (1802)
In 1802, Beethoven was in despair at his relentless progressive loss of hearing. On the advice of his physician, he left Vienna to spend six months in the countryside, a move that proved most productive musically: three violin sonatas, three piano sonatas (including this one), and his Symphony No.2. Although this sonata is indeed tempestuous, the popular name “Tempest” did not originate with Beethoven himself.
The opening of the first movement alternates between calm and tumult, climaxing in a veritable storm. Rolling chords then introduce the development section, leading ultimately to a cadenza and then recapitulation (of the opening theme). The second movement, slower and more lyrical, presents stark contrasts between the high and low registers of the piano. The third movement features an ostinato, a relentlessly repeated passage that presents itself from the flowing opening that builds to a climax, through the extended development section, the recapitulation, and the dramatic falling chromatic scale that marks the finale.
Goodyear: Rhapsody
This, an elegy for a loved one depicting sorrow and unrest, sits well between the “Tempest” and “Moonlight” sonatas.
Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor (1801)
Published as a “sonata in the manner of a fantasy,” this composition perhaps reflects Beethoven’s move away from the formality of the 18th-century sonata towards a less structured Romantic style in which the sonata opens with a minor-mode adagio rather than the typical allegro form.
The first movement opens with a dark melody played in the left hand accompanied by an ostinato triplet rhythm in the right hand. In response to the popularity of this movement, Beethoven is said to have exclaimed, “Surely I’ve written better things. Why does everyone play it?” The short second movement, in D-flat major, features syncopated triple rhythms. Liszt described it as a “flower between two chasms.” The stormy final movement, in classical sonata form (exposition, development, and recapitulation), reverts to the minor key. Its powerful crescendos demand both skill and stamina on the part of the pianist.
Goodyear: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
The work was commissioned for the 2022 Honens Piano Competition. Goodyear describes it as a virtuosic piano composition written in the spirit of Mendelssohn but inspired by music of sub-Saharan Africa. The piece opens with a serenade of harmony and colour.It then takes on a drumming effect before the Rondo takes off, the rhythm of 3/8 and 6/16 dominating the dance which is interspersed with bold octaves in the right hand in the spirit of a chant.
Beethoven: Andante favori (1804)
This composition was originally intended to be the slow movement of the “Waldstein” Sonata, but Beethoven judged it to be too long, and it was subsequently published as a stand-alone work. It became very popular in its own right, so the composer himself named it Andante favori. It is essentially a theme and variations in the form of a rondo (3/8 time).
Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F minor (1805)
This sonata, powerful and dramatic, was published during the same period as the “Eroica” symphony, the “Kreutzer” violin sonata and the “Fidelio” opera. Beethoven, who had been frustrated with the limited 5 octave range of his piano was, in 1803, gifted a new piano with an extended range of 5½ octaves. In this opus, he repeatedly hits the very bottom of the 5½ octave range, knocking at the door of the even lower notes that he would have loved to access.
The main theme of the first movement features a descending-ascending arpeggio that is immediately repeated a semitone higher. This develops to an unusually long and frenzied coda that embraces the entire keyboard. A melodic theme and variations characterize the second movement. The third movement is noted for its relentless dark stormy waves. A wild dance characterizes the coda, before the movement culminates in a series of descending arpeggios in the minor key.
