Mozart 12 Variations ‘Ah Vous Dirai-Je, Maman’ K265; Schoenberg Drei Klavierstücke Op.11; Haydn Piano Sonata In D Hob.Xvi:42; Brahms Drei Intermezzi Op.117; Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23 Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’
This was a interestingly planned recital aimed at demonstrating links between the 1st and 2nd Viennese Schools via Brahms. It also took in several examples of themes and variations – Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn, possibly even Schoenberg. There were a few pleasant surprises for me. The early Mozart piece, based on the tune we know in the UK as ‘Twinkle, twinkle, Little Star’, pottered along pleasantly enough for most of its length, but then suddenly broadened out into a moving, memorable melody which took you straight into the world of much later Mozart. The second of the three Schoenberg pieces was extraordinarily expressive, and something I really want to hear again – one of his first atonal pieces, it nevertheless sounds like Brahms at times (without the tunes!). Similarly, the second and third of the Brahms Op 117 Intermezzi sound extraordinarily modern in this context, with strange, wayward harmonies and odd trajectories, akin to the Schoenberg. The Beethoven and Haydn both seem quirky too, neither of them conforming to standard sonata form expectations.
The very resonant acoustic of St Marie’s Cathedral, a late replacement for the Upper Chapel, made the Beethoven a bit clangourous and muddy in its fast passages, but was ideal for the Schoenberg, Brahms and Haydn. Tim Horton was the excellent pianist, maybe fluffing a few notes in the Beethoven, but nevertheless, as always, a pleasure to hear.
John's musical journey 