Beethoven: Sonata No.7 in D Major, Op.10 No.3 (Lortie, Jando)

B.’s 7th Sonata, much like the 11th, is one of those that belongs firmly in the “total masterwork that no-one listens to” category, and is the last of the relatively experimental Op.10 sonatas. For a start: how about the motivic economy of this sonata? Just listen to how often the first 4 notes in the 1st mvt (a simple scalar descent offset by a single beat across a bar line) recur in drastically different guises, or the first 3 notes in the 4th mvt. There is also the sheer wealth of ideas contained in the movements: the first contains between 7 and 12 themes in the exposition alone (depending on how you count), with yet another theme emerging in the development section. The 2nd mvt is one of the most profound and heartbreaking things B. wrote, comparable to the huge glacier of the Hammerklavier’s 3rd and containing some beautiful textures. The 3rd mvt features a punchy trio and a minuet that’s alternately beautifully melodic and very contrapuntal, and the 4th mvt is a marvel of careful construction: it sounds like a movement in continuous development, so cleverly is the main theme (and its recurrent motif) treated, and yet it sounds almost improvisatory.

MVT I, Presto
EXPOSITION
00:00 – Theme 1, opening four-note descending motif (M1) The theme is repeated 4 times, the second time in the LH, the third in broken 6ths, and the fourth with syncopation.
00:20 – Transition Group. New melody in B minor, followed by sequential movement from (iii) to (V).
00:44 – Theme Group 2, Theme 1, opening with M1.
00:55 – Theme Group 2, Theme 2. Note M1 in bass. As the passages progresses M1 becomes more prominent and its inversion appears in the RH, leading to an exquisite modulating sequence where the accent is placed on the last beat of each bar. Bb is reached, and then at 1:10 a strong cadential close on A.
01:16 – Theme Group 2, Theme 3. Based on Theme 1
01:25 – Theme Group 2, Theme 4.
01:32 – Tonic-dominant dialogue on M1, strongly recalling TG2, T2
DEVELOPMENT
03:23 – M1, 4 bars. Theme 1 enters in D min.
03:31 – Modified Theme 1 (rhythm preserved) in Bb
03:36 – Development Theme. D min, Bb, G min, Eb
03:56 – Dominant preparation
RECAPITULATION
04:13 – Theme 1. At 4:24 diverted to E min
04:31 – Transition Group
04:53 – TG 2
CODA
05:42 – TG2, T4 extended for 4 steps
05:45 – Dialogue on M1. G/G min/Bb/Eb. The harmony thickens.
06:09 – Imitative treatment of M1 over tonic pedal
06:13 – Final crescendo over tonic pedal. Bass notes trace augmentation of M1

MVT II, Largo e mesto
06:25 – TG1, T1
07:30 – TG1, T2
08:27 – TG2, T1
09:26 – TG2, T2
DEVELOPMENT
09:53 – Episodic Melody
10:33 – Introduction of new demisemiquaver figuration (x), which alternates with preceding bar
10:46 – Dominant preparation
RECAPITULATION
11:28 – TG1
12:57 – TG2
CODA
14:00 – TG1, T1 in extreme bass. D min, Bb, Eb min, then climbing in chromatic steps
14:46 – (x) over dominant pedal
15:12 – TG1, T1. Closing with Neapolitan flavor, before final cadences with dissonant upper tonic pedal enter and the piece dies away in single notes.

MVT III, Menuetto: allegro
16:50 – Menuet. Second strain using imitative counterpoint at 17:16, and codetta at 17:38
18:18 – Trio.
18:41 – Menuet

MVT IV, Rondo: allegro
19:28 – Theme, containing M1 (F-G-B), which is developed at m.3.
19:48 – Transition
20:01 – Episode 1
20:16 – Theme
20:36 – Episode 2, in sudden Bb. Dialogue on M1 answered in free inversion above. At 20:39 modulating theme appears (Bb, G min, Eb, F min). Note inversion of M1 in RH in m.35, 37, 39. At 20:57 theme appears in F, then pauses before M1 is developed in tonic minor in a sphinxlike chromatic passage.
21:19 – Theme. The transition is diverted to
21:50 – Episode 3, beginning on the dominant of B min, with M1 in inner part. Enharmonic move into 6/4 of Bb. At 22:03 home dominant reached.
22:12 – Theme, with decoration.
22:30 – Coda. Imitative development of M1 in contrary dialogue in RH. At 22:49 M1 in bass, shadowed by RH, then 4 bars of chord preserving M1’s rhythm moving through (bII) to 23:02, with M1 tapering in bass with tonic pedal and semiquaver decoration in RH.

[AshishXiangyiKumar]

Lortie:
00:00 – Mvt 1
06:25 – Mvt 2
16:50 – Mvt 3
19:29 – Mvt 4
Jando:
23:18 – Mvt 1
31:12 – Mvt 2
40:44 – Mvt 3
43:33 – Mvt 4

Lortie’s performance is one of my all-time favourite B. recordings; when I’m listening to it, at least, it’s hard to imagine something more perfect. The dynamic control on display is pretty extraordinary [0:14, 0:38, 5:01], there’s all sorts of beautiful colorization everywhere [1:33, 5:05, all over the last movement], the 2nd mvt’s doleful lyricism is completely realized, and passages are articulated with a lot of care [see the non-legato closing at 23:09]. Jando’s performance displays the same attention to detail as Lortie’s, but his much slower tempi in the 1st mvt allow him to play with these microscopic variances a lot more: this performance is less sleek, but somehow more down-to-earth, more honest. There’s a lot less pedal in his recording, where the fingers do most of the work, and his tempo in the 2nd mvt is also brisker than Lortie’s. His dry style yields some unexpected rewards, such as the wonderful semidemiquaver passages at 34:58 and similar, where the textures are more orchestral but the grief starker/more biting, and the rondo, where the razor-sharp articulation gives a really nice, crisp, bite to the whole movement.

[AbCd-kqky]

Wow. That second movement is definitely one of the most beautiful things EVER written. Beethoven was a master of emotion and his music is as relevant today as it was back then.

[LucaCozzi]

This Beethoven Sonata carries me in a fairy world of music.
Thanks God Beethoven has existed.

[chrisclr]

I love this Sonata. Especially the 2nd movement - I think this is where we truly hear Beethoven's sadness and depression, at the the time he composed this. It's such an emotionally powerful work. I know that there are many other Sonata's that portray that. But, for me, this is more of an in-depth and personal work of his. We can really grasp what he was going through when he composed this Sonata. It's bittersweet.

[esauponce]

6:08 What a glorious finale for the first movement!

[shibamusique]

0:55~1:06이쯤 너무 상쾌하고 기분좋다..♡
새벽 해뜨는 걸 보는

[mentalchaos]

Nobody’s talking about the coda of the fourth movement? It’s imo one of the greatest codas of all time. It sounds so mysterious it almost feels like there’s no ending.😮

[bono]

Never heard this before. The 2nd movement is such an amazing expression of passion and artistic genius. He was certainly reaching for something higher beyond the realm of the physical world.

[thedaychr]

This piece right here is something different I´m telling you, Beethoven just creating motifs based on the most unique patterns and make it feel so well connected, like a beautiful breeze.

I love the first theme from the first movement, its so cheery and playful with its scales, and it just keep that vibe through the whole sonata <3

[bryanryan]

Beethoven is The Maestro. The cornerstone of music composition that all compare to.

[georgenorris]

Surely the best of the early sonatas. Many elements point forward to Beethoven´s late sonatas.

[harryandruschak]

One thing must be noted. Many works you hear in recital are not based on Musical Merits, but on technical Difficulty. If a work is felt to be too easy to play, it tends to get neglected, no matter how great the musical merits. Haydn's piano sonatas, for example.

[AshishXiangyiKumar]

Incidentally: I seem to be facing a slightly weird issue where some of my uploads (like the Tempest Sonata or Thibaudet's Mendelssohn PC 1, among others) aren't discoverable (by me!) on YT via the search function. So:

1. Is anyone else facing this issue, and if so,
2. Any idea why this is the case, and
3. How I should get around this?

And to clarify, using the case study of the Tempest video:

1. It's not a copyright issue: there are no geographical viewing restrictions, though you can't view it on mobile devices;
2. The video still gets a healthy number of views each day, about 10% of which are via YT search.

[albertol.]

The best of the very early Beethoven sonatas

[lorenzo]

Oh my God the second movement is so beautiful

[charlescxgo]

This and the op.4 (although that one is more middle Beethoven in nature) are true masterpieces of the early period.

[smitlag]

The second movement is the epitome of loneliness. The key of d minor is a sad key anyhow. Very beautiful

[harrylampiris]

This music is so sophisticated that it makes my head spin. It is a great example of why the generation after Beethoven had a major compositional inferiority complex. I love the emotional contrasts as the music flows from one movement to the next…first joyous then tragic then pastoral then very quirky. Best to learn opus 7 and opus 22 before this then it’s not as intimidating.

[MissMareeTempest]

I'm obsessed with Beethoven's Sonatas and this is one that I'm slightly more obsessed with

[Xposthmous]

Happy 250th Birthday Beethoven! I first heard this sonata (Summer, 1995) when I was thirteen years old on the radio when Awadigen Pratt played it. Underrated and over enjoyable. Thank you!