OnClassical |
OC22038B |
2022
Beethoven, L. Van: Piano Sonatas Opp. 7, 14, 22
Maurizio Zaccaria, Piano
Track list
Total duration: 74:29
Original audio @ 88.2 kHz * 24 bits
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With the Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 7, published by Artaria “for harpsichord and piano” in 1797, Beethoven expands the scope of keyboard technique and structural proportions. Indeed, some of the passagework in the outer movements must have been prohibitive to most amateur pianists; and the length of the sonata, at the time, made it the longest work for piano ever published, and the second longest sonata Beethoven composed (the record goes to the Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”). Metric displacements and violent dynamic contrasts inform the opening movement, while the prayer-like Adagio is possibly one of the most extraordinary achievements of Beethoven’s youth. The Allegro that follows, light and playful, is interrupted by a stormy “minore” section that was most likely the inspiration for the first of Schubert’s Klavierstücke, D 946. The melodious but challenging Rondo closes the sonata, unexpectedly, in a murmur.
The two Sonatas, Op. 14 were published by Artaria as a set in 1799, and show a Beethoven less concerned with structural expansion and technical display. However, the iconoclastic spirit that informed earlier explorations in the genre is preserved, in particular in the way harmony and dialectics between thematic materials are developed. The first of the two works, in the key of E Major, was transcribed as a string quartet in the key of F major. Of note, the middle movement. The second sonata, technically perhaps slightly more ambitious than the first, features a lighthearted march followed by variants as a middle movement (at the very end, however, Beethoven startles us by placing a dramatic fortissimo chord), and a humorous Scherzo characterized by continuous metric displacements as a closing movement – all elements that must have been considered rather unusual at the time.
Beethoven's Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 22, was composed in 1800, but published two years later. Beethoven regarded it as the best of his early sonatas, though some of its companions in the cycle have been at least as popular with the public. Prominent musicologist Donald Francis Tovey has called this work the crowning achievement and culmination of Beethoven's early "grand" piano sonatas. The "grand" modifier was applied by Beethoven to sonatas with four movements instead of three. Subsequent sonatas find Beethoven experimenting more with form and concept.
Maurizio Zaccaria continues his journey in the world of Beethoven's complete piano sonatas. His playing is characterized by unique readings and virtuosic flair, all perfectly in line with the sound and timbric resources of modern instruments.
The recording has been captured by sound engineer Alessandro Simonetto. The instrument used is a brand new Steinway grand D-274.
Piano Sonatas Opp. 7, 14, 22
Maurizio Zaccaria, Piano
OnClassical
Prod. No.: 342 / 2022
Cat. No: OC22038B
UPC: 634065039493
No. Album(s): 1
Recorded @ Saletta acustica 'Eric James', Pove del Grappa, 2022
Sound engineer: Alessandro Simonetto
Photo/paint on cover: N/A
Artwork: OnClassical
Equipment used: N/A
Instrument(s) used: Steinway & Sohns D-274 piano, 'Audi-O'
An OnClassical prod., © 2022
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