Programme Notes

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2

In 1792, Beethoven moved from Bonn to Vienna to study composition with Joseph Haydn. With the support of the Elector of Bonn, Maximilian Franz, he began exploring composition through strict counterpoint as well as free writing with Johann Albrechtsberger.

Aiming to establish his reputation, he adopted a strategy for publishing his works, focusing on the salons of the aristocracy. In 1795, he released his first work, a set of three trios, followed by the three piano sonatas, Op. 2, which feature an ambitious and extensive structure inspired by symphonic form.

Beethoven’s music reveals his ability for complex contrapuntal writing and subtle thematic connections. Unfortunately, most drafts of these works have been lost, with few witnesses recording interpretations of them.

The first movement of Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2 follows sonata form. It is brilliant, carefree, and entertaining, not lacking occasional bursts of momentum and stormy intensity, which Haydn so masterfully handled. A notable point that highlights the young Beethoven’s audacity is the mysterious and unexpected transition to the dominant minor key. The melancholic and restless second theme that follows seems endless and is anything but conventional. Through a series of transformations, the theme peaks and is abruptly interrupted by a sequence of sighs suggesting despair, when suddenly, the major mode returns, reinstating the initial cheerful mood. The exposition of themes concludes unusually with a gentle, serene spirit, where elements from the first theme are presented in dialogue between the two hands.

The development section begins hesitantly, initially trying to return to E minor, but quickly transitions to C major, dynamically reintroducing the original theme. The music then soars into A-flat major, where the primary motifs of the first theme are elaborated upon. As the storm subsides, C major returns, only to be replaced by F major, where the first theme seems to find temporary balance. Beethoven demonstrates his contrapuntal mastery with a demanding passage of the first theme in three-part counterpoint, leading to a new climax based on the dominant pedal. Gradually, the tension recedes until the recapitulation of themes appears unexpectedly and dynamically, completing the movement with the calm style of the exposition.

The second movement is slow and lyrical, featuring a main melody reminiscent of brass instruments, accompanied by staccato bass notes. It contrasts with two episodes in minor, ending peacefully.

The third movement, light and enchanting, combines elements of a minuet and a scherzo. It creates a magical atmosphere with arpeggios and imitative repetitions of the opening motif. The trio that follows is darker and more serious.

The fourth and final movement is a traditional sonata-rondo, capturing Beethoven’s tenderness. The main theme is graceful, while the secondary theme is charming. The intensity peaks with a third episode that bursts into fury in the minor key. Beethoven’s improvisational skill is evident in both the ornamentation and the unexpected tonal detours towards the movement’s conclusion, revealing his tendency for experimentation. “The sonata ends as if with a rising cry sinking to a sigh”, as noted by Jan Swafford.

Ernő Dohnányi

Symphonic Minutes, Op. 36

Symphonic Minutes, Op. 36 was completed in 1933 and dedicated to the Budapest Philharmonic Society to which Dohnányi was president for two-and-a-half decades (1919-1944). The work was premiered in its original three-movement form (Capriccio, Rapsodia, and Rondo), under the direction of the composer on 23 October that year. Dohnányi’s second wife, the actress Elza Galafrès, had for a long time been interested in the idea of a ballet on a Hungarian-in-tone cycle. Motivated by the enthusiastic reception of Béla Paulini’s Pearl Bouquet—a collection of folkloristic dance performances performed exclusively by peasants—she was inspired to produce something analogous at the Opera Ballet. She found Dohnányi’s symphonic work Ruralia Hungarica (a set of five pieces completed in 1923-24) to be the ideal music to her own libretto based on the dance-legend The Holy Torch. Because Ruralia Hungarica was rather short, Dohnányi added the existing three pieces from his Symphonic Minutes, which he expanded with another two. The work was performed in its final version on 15 November 1934, while the ballet was staged at the Opera House the following month.

This dance-background helps explain the enriched-with-several-Hungarian-gestures work’s gentle and vivacious character. The opening Capriccio in 6/8 is a colourful display of Dohnányi’s abilities as an orchestrator. The Rapsodia, on the other hand, evokes the Great Hungarian Plain, known as puszta (deserted place). The image of puszta has long been associated with Hungarian national consciousness, and has been a recurring image in nineteenth century Hungarian art. The Scherzo whimsically wavers between triple- and duple-meters, which are occasionally interrupted by chorale-like passages in the brass. The following Tema con variazioni is based on a seventeenth century theme (Tema del seccento), which dates to 1574. The Dorian-in-mode tune articulates by alternating bars of three- and four-beat units. The seven short variations that follow succeed one-another in a continuous and appropriate manner with the tune’s archaic origins. The set ends with an energetic and in-constant-motion buoyant Rondo that gradually accelerates until its end. The movement makes another direct reference to Hungarian performance practices; one associated with the virtuoso players of Gypsy bands, whose performances dominated the Hungarian musical life of the nineteenth century.

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