András Schiff - Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31/2 'The Tempest' - Beethoven Lecture-Recitals

András Schiff - Beethoven Lecture-Recitals
Wigmore Hall (London, UK), 2004–06

András Schiff last performed the complete Beethoven piano sonatas at Wigmore Hall from 2004–06 to overwhelming critical acclaim, with the editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, describing one particular performance as ‘a riveting mixture of erudition, analysis, passion, wit and memory’.

On the day before each of the eight recitals in the series, the world-renowned pianist, pedagogue and lecturer gave a lecture-recital in which he explored the works to be performed. Deeply engaging and insightful, these thought-provoking lecture-recitals, recorded live at the Hall, are available below as eight audio lecture-recitals.

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Full playlist:

View the MP3 files on the Internet Archive:

Originally available at:

[BroncoTaylor]

One genius explaining another genius. Heavenly wisdom

[tinkerchel]

LECTURE NOTES:

movt:
1. begins on a dominant 6th chord, not on a tonic nor in tempo. 3 different characters & tempo indications on the first page.
2. @4:19 a mini-recitative. Long recitative passages later. That's why in some countries this is called "the recitativo sonata".
3. @5:21 the first time we arrive at Dm, the home key. In the bass is a Mannheim rocket.
4. @6:25 orchestral textures: thick tremolando for the string
5. @7:50 we'll hear this "double slurs & diminished 7th chord" figure 20 years later in Op.111
6. @8:16 sounds like a new theme with the Neapolitan 6th chord, but is actually a retrograde of an earlier theme
7. @9:55 usually pianists play this section fortissimo which is wrong. It should be Sforzando within piano when it goes to the bass. Only the last Sforzando is in fortissimo. Then subito piano.
8. the only Dm Beethoven sonata. Although the 9th Symphony is also in Dm. An existential key for Beethoven
10. @14:06 a rest for the first time
11. @18:11 "the goosepimple spot"

movt: sonata without
12. starts on the mediant in B flat. The first bar is almost like an afterthought, like the first bar in the slow movement in the "Hammerklavier"
13. motifically Beethoven closes the 1st movement with a 1/3(F-D), and begins the 2nd with another 1/3(D-F) with a tone in between.
14. @23:46 the motif of the 1/3 is played by a wind instrument like an oboe, and the strings answer. The melody is divided by different instruments.

movt:
15. all 3 movements are in sonata form
16. @29:34 even though I don't necessarily agree with the galloping anecdote, I could kinda hear the galloping with the progressing movements of the groups of 4 notes indicating the landing of a horse's 4 hoofs.
17. @31:11 in the first 4 bars, Beethoven always holds down the second note. What a breathtaking little detail. It really adds to the haunting yet beautiful mood~😍
18. @32:38 the little interruption: 2 exclamation marks with the chromatic scale
19. @33:31 in the second theme, the near manic repetition of this 2-slurred-note motif calls back the first movement
20. @34:47 the development section pays homage to J.S. Bach: theme inversions & double counterpoint like in a Bach invention.

[kitbirskovich]

I played this sonata in recital my 2nd year of college and remember it very well. Today, age 69 (one month older than Maestro Schiff) I feel stirrings that I can't explain, as if he were telling me of things at the time I heard and could not explain. I no longer have a recording of the recital from spring 1973 but I may now whisper to that young girl Yes you played Beethoven even then! Tears.

[augusthearn]

This man is truly a genius. Bach and Beethoven. My piano teacher when I was 10 gave me a whole box of cassette tapes, Andras Schiff playing Bach complete well tempered clavier both books, partitas and French suits. Gold.

[monistefmontesdeleon]

Beethoven died in a stormy march night 1827. It said, that on the moment of his dead, a big lightning and thunder struck the night, whereas he raised his fist and looked up with a fierce expression as if in a last attempt to fight against death. Then he sank back onto his bed and was gone.
The last bars of the last movement with the cromatic scale after which the music dies away, almost literally describe this moment. I‘m not saying that beethoven foresaw his own last moments, but this music reveals so much of his personality: he had to overcome so many tragical events in his life; a terrible childhood with an abusive father, illness, deafness, isolation, loneliness, just to mention a few. And yet he kept fighting till the end and conserved the essence of humanity despite all the odds and left us this essence through his music.

[wuyipiano]

Bravo😂
Thank you so much, these lesson recordings are treasures.

[MrFriulderino]

thanks for uploading this wonderful lecture!

[adamblock]

Schiff has a performance of this Sonata on YT, in Tokyo, that I adore ❤

[matttondr]

Thanks for uploading these, this is pure gold!!

[ericrakestraw]

The finale of the next Beethoven sonata (Op. 31/3) sounds more like horses galloping.

[mansticks]

Schiff states that Adagio is slower than Largo. Did he mis-speak?

[Slawyes]

This is a superb analysis. But what I disagree with is the galloping part: I can see the galloping in allegretto tempo (not in the allegro/presto that most play it). ta Dada Da sounds like 4 feet of a horse galloping, not fast but not slow either (allegretto!) 1 23 4 is four feet of a horse moving faster than walk but slower than running. Which means allegretto by default doesn't it?

[Robert...Schrey]

bar 5 is indicated adagio but no ritardando.