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Beethoven Piano
Concerto No. 4 in G Major Op. 58 was completed just before the tranquil and beautiful Violin Concerto
in 1806 and, like the violin concerto, gives an overall impression
of a gentle work as opposed to the fifth ('Emperor') concerto; a
work of overwhelming dimensions and power. It is not, however,
suggested that the fourth concerto lacks drama, but that it is not
of the heroic and dominating kind. Of Beethoven's five piano
concertos, this is the first in which he made a break from the
classical style inherited from his days with Haydn and Mozart and
recognized in his earlier works. In this, the least aggressive of all
his piano concertos, both the orchestra and piano are present from
the first bars, and the flow of inspiration creates a poetic mood
and melodic themes continue throughout. The fourth piano concerto
has not been recorded as frequently as the 1st, 3rd and 5th
concerto, never-the-less it is one of the most harmonious and
beautiful.
Sonata No. 32 C Minor Op. 111
was composed in the last and most introspective period of
Beethoven's creative life, and was the last of his 32 sonatas for
piano solo. He composed the piano sonatas throughout his entire
career and they played an important role in moving the piano away
from the classical chamber style into the romantic and passionate
style of Liszt. In Beethoven's
last sonatas, the titanic Hammerklaver Sonata Op. 106 and the
variations in the finale of Sonata No. 32, the demand on the pianist
had become ever increasing, requiring a technique of extreme
virtuosity. His sonatas did not necessarily get bigger or better, as
there are movements of immense power and beauty in the early
sonatas; however, as the result of the most careful thought, and as
composing had never come easy to him, he now wrote his works in a
most meticulous and intellectual way which, in piano works, has
never been matched by any other composer. |
