BEETHOVEN 200: Two Giants

RECORDINGS OF THE WORKS

Ludwig van Beethoven: Pianosonate nr. 21 i C-dur, op. 53 «Waldstein»

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BEETHOVEN 200: Two Giants

Description

With Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 ( Waldstein ) and Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 ( Hammerklavier ) the audience encounters two of Beethoven's most monumental piano works. Although more than ten years lie between them, they each represent a decisive high point in the composer's creative output. The Waldstein Sonata stands as one of the main works from the so-called heroic period, when Beethoven burst the framework of the classical sonata and created a new, more virtuosic and symphonic piano language. The radiant opening movement, the dreamy soundscapes of the introduction to the finale and the explosive conclusion have made the work one of the best loved in the entire piano repertoire. The Hammerklavier Sonata, by contrast, is a work that appears daring and boundary-breaking even today. With its enormous dimensions, its technical challenges and its deep musical complexity, it is regarded by many as the most ambitious of all Beethoven's piano sonatas. In particular the monumental slow movement and the closing fugue are among the most impressive achievements in Western music history. Hearing these two sonatas side by side is a unique opportunity to experience the breadth of Beethoven's art. From the young rebel's energy and drive to the late master's visionary depth, together they paint a picture of a composer who throughout his life extended the limits of what a piano could express. This evening's soloist is Emil Gryesten , who is among the most exciting Danish pianists of his generation. His playing has been praised for its combination of technical assurance, poetic sense of sound and musical integrity. With a particular fondness for the great works of the piano literature, he has made his mark as an interpreter who is able to unite intellectual clarity with immediate musical presence. That makes him an obvious guide through the evening's two sonata giants. Where the Waldstein Sonata shines with drive, inventiveness and heroic energy, the Hammerklavier Sonata leads us into a musical landscape of hitherto unheard dimensions. Together they show Beethoven at the peak of his creative powers, and in Emil Gryesten's hands they become both lively, human and deeply fascinating. Everyone is welcome, and admission is free. BEETHOVEN 200 A journey through 32 piano sonatas In 2027 it will be 200 years since Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) died. The anniversary year is marked in Timotheuskirken with a great Beethoven festival, where throughout the year the audience has the opportunity to experience all of the composer's 32 piano sonatas. Beethoven's sonatas are regarded as among the greatest masterpieces in music history and are often referred to as the piano literature's "New Testament", while Bach's Das wohltemperierte Klavier is called the Old. Together the sonatas paint a fascinating portrait of a composer who again and again moved the limits of what music could express. Most of the works are performed on the church's new concert grand, a Steinway Model D, but a few concerts also offer the chance to hear the sonatas on the fortepiano, the instrument Beethoven himself knew. The American fortepiano specialist Gilbert Martinez takes part in these concerts and gives an exciting insight into how the music may have sounded in the composer's own time. The festival brings together a number of prominent pianists from both Denmark and abroad. The audience can meet musicians from the USA, Armenia, Japan and Argentina, who all put their personal stamp on the interpretation of Beethoven. In addition to the sonatas, the festival offers a few special bonus programmes. Here you can hear, among other things, the Eroica Variations, Op. 35 and Beethoven's own four-hand version of the monumental Grosse Fuge, Op. 130. Beethoven is also put in perspective through works by other composers: Mauricio Kagel's virtuoso piano étude An Tasten (1977), which contains numerous tributes to Beethoven, and Jan Ladislav Dussek's Sonata in D major, Op. 31 No. 2 from 1800. The sonata was written five years before Beethoven's Pastoral Sonata, Op. 28, and the connection between the two works is clear. Today Dussek's sonata is rarely performed, but both works point ahead to Romantic music and mark the transition from the classical style to a new musical age. Timotheuskirken's Beethoven festival runs from 24 January to 14 November 2027. All concerts take place on Sundays at 16.00. Admission is free to all concerts.