THE YOUNG BEETHOVEN: Works Composed at Ages 13&14 = Rondo in C Major, WoO48; Rondo in A Major, WoO49; Sonata No. 1 in E-flat Major, WoO47; Sonata No. 2 in F Minor, WoO47; Sonata No. 3 in D Major, WoO47; Concerto in E-flat Major, WoO4 – Mordecai Shehori, piano – Cembal d’amour CD 214 (77:36) [www.cembal damour.com] ****:
Pianist Mordecai Shehori, in now-completed, recorded survey of the Beethoven piano sonatas, has, as his Volume 10, addressed the early compositions by the teenaged Bonn master. The set of 1782-83 Three Sonatas, WoO 47, called Kurfürstensonaten, present a level of precocious daring, anticipating the bold strokes of the more mature Beethoven. The E-flat Concerto recording represents a world premiere of the sole, extant edition of the solo piano version.
The E-flat Sonata No. 1 opens with a 4/4 Allegro cantabile that, in the manner of Haydn, exploits the Alberti bass maneuver while a martial tune competes with a lyrical theme, both in shifting registers and sudden dynamics. No less dependent on the Alberti bass, the tender Andante enjoys a soft, music-box sonority, pausing momentarily, to gather itself and extend the moment. Scalar motion, an extended trill or two, and soft, passing ornaments suggest the influence of the Bach sons. The Rondo vivace possesses a bouncy, declamatory energy, the cadences marked by ornamental flourishes. Again, the motion breaks off momentarily, then resumes, with a quick pass into the minor mode, then the percussive declamation reappears, only to cede its stratified hegemony to its quicker lyricism with which it began.
The F Minor Sonata opens with an attention-rousing, huge chord marked Larghetto maestoso, a procession marked by deep bass tones. The first page alone reveals a large dynamic range, pp to ff. The music breaks off, here in the manner of C.P.E. Bach to present a tune that has martial implications, with the composer’s newly-patented juxtapositions of loud and soft, percussive and running passages. The sonority becomes richer, more nuanced, as a reflective parlando enters. Then the burst of energy resumes, a step-wise motion in various motions and dynamics. The dramatic scalar pattern reigns as we approach the coda, the tension of both motions acting in concert to a resounding conclusion.
The Andante appears thoughtful and subdued, close to both Mozart and the aforementioned Bach. The right hand indulges in some fioritura the left hand imitates, moving to a dramatic pause. A mood of serenity sets in, though agitated in the bass, which soon darkens. Parlando and recitative like passages lead us to the lyrical impulse once more, and another heavy cadence. The last page serves as a kind of meditative epilogue. The last movement, Presto, indulges in syncopated humor of a kind, with quick runs and appoggiaturas. Scalar, cascading passages answer each other, ending with a bouncy. Shehori executes these symmetrical figurations with a clear dexterity and poised sense of line.
The D Major Sonata No. 3 begins Allegro in common time, its somewhat dotted progression moving from a declamatory to a lyrical mode and back again, heavy on the ringing, bass cadences. The secondary tune indulges in double notes and gossamer runs, even as the bass line continues to mark all progress. The middle movement offers a sculpted Menuetto sostenuto – con sei varianti, a sure preface of the later master. The sure segues between variations testifies to a sure hand on behalf of composer and performer, with a sense of improvisation already evident in brief cadenza passages. The ornamental capacities of the instrument, its striking coloratura, suggests a manner in Beethoven’s figurations beholden to Mozart. The chromatic movement proves equally audacious for a young composer, a color spectrum likely influenced by the Bach sons and the “expressive school” of thought. The humorous, even dainty, theme for the Scherzando finale – Allegro ma non troppo, has a touch of Scarlatti in its makeup, play seasoned with aggressive color. The deft staccatos and resonant trills move like soft lightning via Shehori’s maneuvers, runs and passing echo effect in abundance.
The Piano Concerto in E-flat Major, WoO4, Beethoven’s “Concerto No. 0,” is the product of a fourteen-year-old Beethoven, who did leave some hints at an orchestral tissue to accompany the keyboard part. Haydn may well claim the major influence for the structure of the work, and the general approach to the keyboard writing lies in scalar passages, especially in the relatively brisk tempo of movement one, Allegro moderato. Played as a solo, we have the impression of a large-group ripieno and small ensemble concertino, in the manner of a concerto grosso for solo piano. A certain formulaic presence is at work, especially when Beethoven closes periodic, harmonic sequences. Still, the piano part reveals ambitious elements in cadenza style and lyrical brilliance in the vigorous runs that color the musical development. Shehori invests enough vigor and full sonority to invoke an orchestral sound when he demands it.
The second movement proffers a thoughtful Larghetto, intimate in parlando feeling a folkish meditation in several respects. The ornamentation becomes more evident as Beethoven progresses, often in a studied pace adorned by upward runs and arpeggios. If any composer would seem to have inherited this embellished style, we might suggest the young Mendelssohn. The last pages sound a pseudo-chorale laced with those same runs and ornaments, the bass line’s assuming deep resonance before the delicate coda sounds into the distance. An energetic Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo caps off this youthful excursion into large form, scales interrupted by declamations and brisk runs. A sense of improvisation again invests the colorful, entertaining writing with harmonic shifts of note, dynamic changes, and deft alterations in texture, all of which announce a talent of no mean accomplishments. Kudos to Mister Shehori for an adventurous tour of a burgeoning, world-class, musical genius.
—Gary Lemco
