This sonata got Beethoven into trouble with the critics in their initial reviews. Lou went off into the wilds of keys with a large number of flats, something that just wasnt done for an instrument whose strings are tuned to sharp keys. Although Lou had written these sonatas with Rudy Kreutzer in mind, the initial performance was given with someone else. This was the first time Rudy missed out on immortality with a Beethoven sonata, and it wouldnt be the last. The violinist in the first performance was Ignaz Schuppanzigh, and Iggy would become the first violinist of the quartet that premiered all of Lous string quartets in the years to come.
The first movement in E-flat and 4/4 is marked allegro con spirito, which does not mean quickly and with alcohol. Youll note there is a lot less Mozart and a bit more Beethoven in this sonata. E-flat had a habit of bringing out Lous best. The second subject is in the expected B-flat. The exposition is repeated. At 4:45, Lou rolls right into a development section that ranges through the flat keys: one flat yields to two, three, four, five, six and finally seven flats in C-flat Major. (At least thats the same as B Major, which is five sharps.) At 6:09 Beethoven restores sanity with a return to E-flat, but his transitional passage is in A-flat, leading to the second subject in the correct key of E-flat. Its quite a journey. He ends it decisively.
The slow movement in C Major and 3/4 time is marked adagio con molta espressione, and the molta is new to a fairly standard Beethoven direction. He wants a lot of expression here. He staggers the left an right hand a half-beat off each other. (Schumann would later make this his trademark.) The middle section of this ternary piece goes into high flat keys with the violin singing over an arpeggio accompaniment on the piano. Beethoven re-composes his return to the first theme and ends it quietly.
The finale is a rondo in 2/4 that returns to E-flat. Its marked allegro molto which we all know by now. This is the closest Lou is going to get to Mozart. In the third subject, Lou once again goes into the wilds of flat keys. For his coda, Beethoven turns to a brilliant fugue leading to a bravura finish.
This video features Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis. Lamberts period instrument work in the Schubert trios is setting the standard for the genre.
Next week its the Quintet for Piano & Winds and the Septet for Strings & Winds.
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