Beethoven: Sonata No.2 in A Major, Op.2 No.2 (Blechacz, Kovacevich, Pletnev)

The general impression of the Op.2 No.2 is that it is a lithe, graceful, often lyrical thing. This belies, however, its radical (even parodic) tendencies, and huge technical difficulty: it’s clear that B. was determined to outdo his predecessors early on, and this sonata is already well beyond Mozart and Haydn.

The most striking fact feature of this sonata is its way with key: it changes in unexpected and often extremely modern-sounding ways: see what happens in the second theme group at 00:47, where it moves in intervals of a minor third, the use of C and (extended) F major in the development of the 1st movement, Bb in the 2nd (11:45), G# min in the 3rd (14:16), and F + Bb major in the last section of the 4th. It’s incredible that something so graceful moves with such modulatory aggressiveness, but the colour B. generates with these sorts of shifts shows why the Romantics couldn’t get enough of their modulations to bVII or bVI or III.

There’s also the textures B. deploys here, which were previously unheard-of in pianoforte literature. In the 1st movement, parodic extensions of rise-and-fall melodic shapes so common in the classical period, with white-hot scales thrown in, as well as some magical 3-part textures at 4:06; in the 2nd, gorgeous Brahmsian textures (7:40) and pizzicato plucking in the lowest registers against sustained middle tones, and in the 4th an absurd operatic downward leap, together with deliberately overinvolved mimicry of a motif borrowed from the 1st movement – the rising A arpeggio.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that the defining features of B.’s style are already in abundance: lots of clever motivic manipulation in the 1st movement, and (by classical standards) an unusually long movement.

MVT I, Allegro vivace
EXPOSITION
00:00 – Theme Group 1, Theme 1. Note Motif (A), the opening descending 4th, the related long octave descending on m.4 (A*), and Motif (B), the quick downward run in m.1.
00:06 – Theme Group 1, Theme 2. TG1, T1 returns after.
00:25 – Theme Group 1, Theme 3. Containing (C), rapid rising scale, and slower descent (D). (Note connections to TG1, T1.)
00:32 – Dominant preparation
00:47 – Theme Group 2, Theme 1. A beautiful and incredibly modern-sounding series of enharmonic modulations, each raising the tonality by a minor 3rd.
01:01 – (B) returns. (Also the rhythm of (A) interspersed). At 1:08, cadence-theme 1
01:14 – (C)+(D) return
01:24 – Cadence-theme 2
DEVELOPMENT
03:16 – After closing chords in E min, TG1, T1 in C
03:22 – In Ab, (A)+(B)+(A*), moving into dominant of F
03:50 – TG1, T2 in F. Repeats itself, led by bass
04:06 – TG1, T2 developed in close 3-part imitation moving around the circle of fourths. At 4:12 (A) appears, together with scalar fragment from TG1, T2. Process repeated twice.
04:23 – Dominant preparation, extensively using TG1, T2
RECAPITULATION
04:41 – TG1. The counter-statement of TG1, T1 is absent.
05:21 – TG2, leading straight into closing cadence without coda.

MVT II, Largo appassionato
06:15 – Theme. The 20 seconds after 7:40 count as one of the most moving things B. ever wrote (and are already radically unlike anything Mozart or Haydn could have dreamt of, sounding like they came straight out of Brahms).
08:01 – Episode 1
09:12 – Theme
10:55 – Episode 2, beginning like a coda. At 11:35 theme returns suddenly in D min in ff, moving into Bb and home dominant
12:31 – Theme, in higher register, with delicately articulated accompaniment
13:11 – Coda

MVT III, Allegretto
13:51 – Scherzo. At 14:16, second melody in G# min
15:16 – Trio, in A min
16:01 – Scherzo

MVT IV, Grazioso
16:47 – Theme (Note the opening arpeggio extends the figure from TG1 T2)
17:17 – Transition
17:33 – Episode 1
18:00 – Theme
18:30 – Episode 2
20:11 – Theme
20:42 – Transition, in tonic
20:56 – Episode 1
21:18 – Theme/Coda (can also be read as Theme + Episode 2 + Theme, giving the movement an ABACABACA structure). At 21:28 – sudden enharmonic diversion into F, where the theme hovers for 5 bars. At 21:45 the theme is developed into the bass into tonic-dominant swing. At 21:56 the portamento from the theme is deployed in what looks like a final cadence that suddenly moves using an enharmonic switch (D#=Eb) into Bb. At 22:09 – Episode 2’s theme recurs in Bb, and at 22:31 the Theme returns one last time, richly ornamented and diverted at 22:46 into the final tonic-dominant swing.
RaptorTV : 9:00 the best moment
William Bunter : What an incredible genius Beethoven was ! And oh that last movement!
Last Part Of John 8:11 : great work! But what a boring 2nd movement - not quite as arresting as the 'ol' Moonlight sonata' Here is a Single movement full Moonlight sonata (after NEW UNDISKOOVERED FIR ELYSE): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djaJQCTOZlQ
KSI had BirdDog : Fifty-One Mozart lovers disliked this.
시바견 : 2:10
3:23
6:01
MY FAVORITE PARTS
Rogue Art : Damn nice execution!. Love the crisp tight dynamics. Thumbs up.
Ara piano kid : I have to thank you - I am just getting to know the sonatas of Beethoven. With you!
PIANO : 1:36
Nadia Boulanger : This is the sonata that made me want to be a serious pianist rather than just a hobbyist. That was a loooong time ago, and this is still my favorite of the 32.
Darkanine : Ugh I can NOT get those triplet runs in the first mvt how tf is this guy doing that?

Beethoven | Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major | Daniel Barenboim

Español: Sonata para Piano nº2 en La Mayor, Op. 2 nº2

1st Movement (Allegro Vivace)
2nd Movement (Largo Appassionatto)
3rd Movement (Scherzo, Allegretto)
4th Movement (Rondó: Grazioso)

Work: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Soloist: Daniel Barenhoim
Юрий Карабинцев : Am I the only person who is listening to this music after reading Kuprin?
Darlene : 18:15
KJ CHO : Daniel Barenboring
たぁ : For myself
start 0:05
p24 122 3:56
p26 181 4:52
Ⅱ p30 7:29
III p34 Scherzo 14:55
IV p35 Rondo 18:17 p36 18:42
richard nineteenfortyone : Interrupting a movement with a Clorox commercial is not acceptable. I shall boycott Clorox because of this.
Gregory Lewis : Barenboim and Beethoven so inspiring. His complete set of the 32 is one of the finest it seems to me;some of you may also know his memorable accounts of the piano trios with Zukerman and Jacqueline du Pre.
He is a very pleasant man by the way.
Volker Franz : sehr schöne Tempi
김효정 : 30년전 내 입시곡..감회가 새롭네요~
Erin Enright : I can't believe there's people actually commenting on how boring this is. How is it possible to find Beethoven boring?
Shen Ming Health : fourth movement theme comes back one too many times, its tiring.

베토벤 피아노 소나타 2번

구나연
2017. 12. 8
Card Two : 와 소리 너무 부드럽다..
이규리 : 아 이런곡이였어..? 내가치는건 왜이러냐
시바견 : 저 이곡 입시로 쓸려고 하는데 ㅜㅜ
어렵더군요.....

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