“What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.” – Ludwig van Beethoven
Hello classical music listener, and others that are curious about classical music. If you are a first-time reader, I warmly welcome you to the top 50 classical recordings of all-time. If you are a returning reader, I want to thank you for your patience and perseverance as I release these newsletters at a bit of a leisurely pace. I am delighted if you have found some insight from the essays or pleasure from the recordings. Once again, this is a purely subjective exercise and I fully understand opinons may sometimes diverge from my own. Nevertheless, hopefully it is an enjoyable journey through some of the best recordings ever made.
The very first installment in this series was a recording of Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh symphonies. The Fifth symphony, in particular, is an eternal monument to the genius of Ludwig van Beethoven. We return now to Beethoven again, but this time with a recording of his chamber music. Recording #23 on our list is Beethoven’s Complete Works for Piano and Cello performed by pianist Francois-Frederic Guy and cellist Xavier Phillips recorded in 2015 for Evidence Classics. These are powerful and authoritative performances of what I consider to be the greatest chamber music Beethoven ever composed, and some of the best music for a chamber group ever composed period.
First, a few words about chamber music. You may have noticed this is the first recording on the list that is chamber music. Chamber music is composed for a handful of musicians, in this case just two (cello and piano). But chamber music can be a duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, or nonet. Later in the list, we will encounter some other chamber music. You might think someone like Beethoven saved all his genius for larger works such as symphonies or concertos, but you would be wrong. The cello sonatas and variations are some of the best music you will ever hear, bar none.
The Composer
Does Beethoven need any introduction? In the earlier Beethoven entry, we did not delve too much into Beethoven himself. But here we will, as there are some interesting and important facts to know about him:
§ Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in December 1770 and died in March 1827 in Vienna, Austria. Ludwig’s father Johann maintained that Ludwig’s year of birth was 1772 in an effort to portray Ludwig as younger than he was in order to make it appear he was an even greater prodigy. It was not until many years later that Ludwig found out the truth about his age.
§ Ludwig’s father Johann was an alcoholic, something that Ludwig would inherit as well later in life. Johann was also known to be physically abusive toward Ludwig, particularly when Ludwig would make mistakes in piano practice or lessons. His father pushed him incessantly.
§ Young Ludwig enjoyed daydreaming, and was never a good math student, partly because he had to leave school at a young age to earn money for the family. It is likely Ludwig suffered from what we would now call depression and ADHD, among other disorders.
§ Beethoven performed in front of Mozart when he was 17 years of age, and took lessons from Haydn (though the lessons did not go smoothly). Mozart is quoted as saying of Beethoven, “This young man is destined to make a name for himself.”
§ Beethoven began to lose his hearing as early as age 25, he had almost constant ringing in his ears by age 27, and was completely deaf by age 46.
§ Throughout his lifetime, Beethoven was sickly. He suffered at various times from typhus, jaundice, colitis, hepatitis, rheumatism, cirrhosis of the liver, various infections, skin disorders, and of course deafness. Though nobody knows for sure why he went deaf, it is believed to have stemmed from a childhood illness. His deafness made him more withdrawn, despondent at times, and made his social interactions difficult.
§ Beethoven disliked teaching piano, unless the pupil was very talented or was an attractive female.
§ Perhaps not surprisingly, Beethoven was a perfectionist when it came to his music. He was known to revise and redraft many of his most famous works.
§ Up until Beethoven, the harpsichord was the primary keyboard instrument, but Beethoven began writing for solo piano, which was new at the time. Beethoven’s piano sonatas are among the greatest of his works.
§ Beethoven possessed perfect pitch, so despite his deafness he was able to continue composing effectively.
§ Beethoven’s composing years are often divided into early, middle, and late periods. During his early period, you can hear Beethoven bowing to classical convention and norms, his middle period is more ambitious and virtuosic as he expanded on existing forms, and his late period could be described as truly groundbreaking, revolutionary, and even spiritual.
§ While listeners are most familiar with Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 “Choral”, the first symphony to include voices, and his Symphony no. 5 with its defiant fate theme, Beethoven’s true breakthrough was his Symphony no. 3 “Eroica” famously dedicated to Napoleon initially. Beethoven admired Napoleon and the ideals of the French Revolution. However, when Beethoven heard news of Napoleon crowning himself Emperor, he flew into a rage and reportedly said Napoleon was, “an ordinary human being” and took the title page, tore it in two, and threw in on the floor. He changed the dedication thereafter, and the symphony was dubbed “eroica” (heroic) in 1806.
§ Beethoven died during a thunderstorm, though the cause of his death is the subject of much controversy and debate. His funeral was estimated to have been attended by between 10,000 and 30,000 people.
§ Beethoven had many unrequited female loves, but the “immortal beloved” he wrote to in a famous letter from 1812 (and covered in the 1994 movie Immortal Beloved) has never been positively identified.
The Complete Works for Cello and Piano
Beethoven wrote his Cello Sonatas 1 & 2, op. 5 in 1796 while he was in Berlin. While there, he met the King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm II. The King was a cellist, and thus the sonatas were dedicated to the King. However, while visiting the court Beethoven played the sonatas (Beethoven on piano) with one of the court’s musicians Jean-Louis Duport. Upon hearing Duport’s playing Voltaire said to him, “Sir, you will make me believe in miracles, for I see that you can turn an ox into a nightingale.” With these sonatas, Beethoven essentially invented the form of the “cello sonata”. During that time, the cello had never been used as solo instrument in the sense of giving it equal billing to the piano.
Both of these first cello sonatas have just two movements, the first movement of the second sonata being one of the longest sonata movements Beethoven ever wrote. The first sonata is written in a major key, while the second one is in a minor key. The first two sonatas fall into the “early” phase of Beethoven’s composing years, and as such are full of more classical influence and hearken back to Haydn and Mozart. They contain some beautiful music, as well as some devilish virtuosic sections especially for piano.
Cello Sonata no. 3, op. 69 was written quite a bit later, finished in 1808. That was the same year Beethoven completed his Fifth and Sixth symphonies, so his inspiration was at its height. Sonata no. 3 has a heading at the top that says Inter Lacrimas et Luctum (Amid Tears and Sorrow). It is not entirely clear why Beethoven gave it this title, as the work itself is not overly sorrowful. There is some darker shading and a bit of melancholy, but on the whole the work is lyrical and moves forward assertively. In this sonata, Beethoven began to break free from the more classical structure (indeed he had long since developed his own unique voice) of the first two sonatas and we hear the cello has a more involved and complex part. The second movement Scherzo has a syncopated melody which bounces back and forth from piano to cello back to piano. The third movement Adagio cantabile – Allegro vivace provides quite a workout for both musicians as it moves from lyrical to a happy spinning main theme.
Cello Sonata no. 4, op. 102/1 and Cello Sonata no. 5, op. 102/2 were again written several years later in 1815. The last two sonatas were later dedicated to the Countess Marie von Erdody. These are more intimate works, perhaps reflecting a time period where Beethoven had withdrawn from the public eye and composing for a spell likely due to his increasing hearing loss. The sonatas are more harmonically adventurous, and in points move from major to minor keys, and Beethoven uses more counterpoint similar to other sonatas he was writing at the time. These are full fledged sonatas, with main themes recurring and being developed. This is mature, middle period Beethoven. Once again, it is striking how wonderfully moving these works are, containing gorgeous and emotionally potent music.
The Recording
The catalog is very rich with excellent recordings and performances of the Beethoven Cello Sonatas and Variations, and choosing just one is quite difficult. But the recording I have chosen by pianist Francois-Frederic Guy and cellist Xavier Phillips brings beautiful and sensitive performances and outstandingly clear and vivid sound. But to be fair, many other recordings of these pieces meet that standard. In order to make the top 50, the recording must be extra special, and this one is. There is an improvisatory quality to the playing of Guy and Phillips that is sparkling, spontaneous, and natural. It is a fun and rewarding listening experience.
Francois-Frederic Guy is a French classical pianist, and has become somewhat of a Beethoven and Brahms specialist. He has recorded all the Beethoven piano sonatas and piano concertos, which are very fine. He is also working on a Brahms project. Since 2006, Guy has appeared with many major orchestras and conductors in Europe, and particularly in France. He is a strong advocate for contemporary French composers, and has played the premieres of many works that were dedicated to him. Guy entered the Conservatoire de Paris at age 11, and made his debut with the Orchestre de Paris with Wolfgang Sawallisch in 1999.
Xavier Phillips is a French classical cellist, and began studying the cello at the age of 6. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1986 at the age of 15, and won Conservatoire First Prize in 1989. He trained under legendary Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich for 12 years.
When listening to a recording of two instruments such as we have on this recording, the recorded balance between the two instruments is a critical part of the experience. On this recording, the balance is tilted slightly toward the cello rather than the piano. Personally, I like this balance very much because on other recordings it can be difficult at times to hear the cello and pick up all the notes. The great thing here is you can hear both instruments closely and quite clearly, and for me that is a benefit.
Guy in particular is an astounding artist, and especially in the first two sonatas which contain so much difficult writing for piano, he plays with extraordinary aplomb and effortlessness. The playfulness between the two artists is also palpable. I love how Guy and Phillips emphasize the dramatic contrasts between the more lyrical and expressive moments and the more frantic and frenetic passages. Phillips puts a lot of character into his cello playing, and you can especially hear it in the later sonatas, such as the first movement of no. 3 op. 69 and the first movement Andante in no. 4 op. 102. He is able to achieve a warmth of tone, even in higher notes, and never overpowers the sound of the piano. But as I said, it is so good to hear the cello so clearly. I am also left impressed with the accuracy of the playing throughout, and how both artists are right with each other, and they seem to be seamless in their partnership.
Even though the cello sonatas are the main event, complete recordings of Beethoven’s music for cello and piano, including this one, also include three variations for cello and piano as follows:
· 12 Variations in G major on “See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes” from Handel’s Judas Maccabeus. You will no doubt recognize this melody, and Beethoven puts some marvelous variations together on the theme, which are light but also irresistible.
· 7 Variations in E-flat major on “Bei Mannern, welche liebe fuhlen” from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. If you read my entry a few weeks ago on The Magic Flute, you may remember I mentioned this tune as one of the most memorable and recognizable from that opera.
· 12 Variations in F major on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" also from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Once again, Beethoven goes to Mozart for inspiration and finds playfulness and joy.
Guy and Phillips are every bit as spectacular in the variations as the sonatas themselves, playing with a sense of sublime fun and energy. On this album, the variations are programmed first before the sonatas.
Although you should not miss the recording with Guy and Phillips, there are many other satisfying accounts of these works you may want to sample. Here are a few:
·
Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter in a classic account recorded for Philips in 1963. For a long time, this recording was THE one to have and still remains in the top spot for many. Rostropovich and Richter were both superstars, and their chemistry together is undeniable. The sound is warm, and the playing is beautiful. For me, it is a bit stodgy when compared to the Guy/Phillips recording. But it should be heard. It should be noted this is just the sonatas, with the variations not being included.
·
Steven Isserlis and Robert Levin recorded in 2013 for the Hyperion label is also one of the most wonderful versions, even if it is generally not available on major streaming services. Levin uses a fortepiano, and Isserlis uses less vibrato with an attempt to recreate the sound from Beethoven’s time. Different, but every bit as rewarding. A fine achievement.
·
Pablo Casals and Rudolf Serkin in a legendary recording from 1952 and 1953 for Columbia, now Sony. Casals and Serkin were regular collaborators, but here Casals romantic tone is in the fore with Serkin’s piano a bit recessed. It is a wonderfully tender and joyful recording, though with sound limitations.
·
Pierre Fournier with Friedrich Gulda recorded in 1959 for Deutsche Grammophon. Another classic, refined, and charming recording which has held a special place for many listeners. Gulda is one of the great piano geniuses of all-time in my opinion, and Fournier with the warmth and loveliness of his tone make a great team. One of the best sets ever.
There are certainly other excellent recordings of these works, more than can be listed here. But the point is this is music to discover if you don’t know it.
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Notes:
Brennan, Gerald. Palmer, John. Reel, James. Schrott, Allen. Woodstra, Chris. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Pp. 100-101, 115. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.
https://classicalmjourney.blogspot.com/2017/12/ludwig-van-beethoven-cello-sonatas.html
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/best-quotes-about-music/
https://evidenceclassics.com/artists/francois-frederic-guy/
https://interlude.hk/a-cellists-dream-the-beethoven-cello-sonatas/