Beethoven’s Hammer
July 26th, 2008
Beethoven.
That’s usually the answer I give when someone asks me what composer I like. I mean, it’s fairly conventional, but it’s really true. Most people however are looking for a slightly more obscure name that sounds a bit less marketable to the untrained professional…perhaps Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Scriabin, Strauss, or some other composer whose name starts with an “s.”
Well, the S’s are great in the 20th Century, but it’s the B’s that ruled before. I’m talking about Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.
And it’s that weird connection between these guys that leads me to what is quickly becoming my favorite Beethoven piano sonata. How many Beethoven piano sonatas are there? 32…more if you count the “unofficial” ones. Admittedly I haven’t exactly gone through all of them and listened with equal intensity. But I’ve heard many of them and have played parts of them.
The stand-outs of the group have names. Moonlight, Waldstein, Appassionata, Tempest, Pastoral, etc. And the one I’m writing about has one too: Hammerklavier. It’s numbered Piano Sonata number 29 and given Opus number 106. And it’s a real mofo.
As part of my musical experiment, I listened to the sucker for a month…one month of Hammerklavier ringing in my head. To be honest, it’s a really hard one to get in your ears so the experiment really helped out. And ultimately, that’s what makes this piano sonata so spine tingling good: The whole thing is ugly.
Andras Schiff says it himself. He scoffs at those who regard it as generically beautiful, like that’s what polite civilized people are supposed to call it. Nope. Beethoven is writing something that is ugly and harsh and difficult and utterly human. Of course, there are moments of conventional beauty, which makes them all the more beautiful because they are surrounded by the coldness of an immense cavern. The correct term I believe is sublime, vast and uncaring like the Himalayas.
The whole last movement of the Hammerklavier sonata is based on a fugue, which comes courtesy of Beethoven’s study of Bach’s amazing and unsurpassed fugal technique. Beethoven makes a run at it, but is also interested in the amounts of sheer noise and pyrotechnics that result. He takes the strictness of Bach and loosens up for some fun. Lots of banging low notes and tender high ones.
Where does Brahms come in? Well, Brahms clearly studied the Hammerklavier sonata. He borrows Beethoven’s use of thirds in the Hammerklavier for his Third Symphony. It’s uncanny really if you know both pieces. Scholars note these kinds of things so it’s really not just my imagination.
So yes, I like Beethoven. But no, he’s not going to roll over. After you charge through his greatest hits, you’ll find a plethora of second-string masterpieces…not second-string because they’re not as good, but just not as conventional or ostensibly beautiful. No, they just feature a deaf guy working out his demons and reaching for the sublime.
Incidentally, I also heard this piece used in a PBS documentary on Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts and Charlie Brown. I think it was used, because Schroeder is a Beethoven-lover and a sort of cold and uncaring pianist that Lucy pines over unrequited. There’s a sort of happiness I get from knowing that this weird Beethoven piece actually connects to pop culture in some way.
So when are you going to hear it? How about now? The following recording is taken from Schiff’s free lecture on Beethoven’s sonatas at the link above where it says Andras Schiff. Go check out the entire lecture since he spends almost an hour and a half explaining and demonstrating the genius behind this piece.
Hammerklavier sonata, final movement sans intro - Beethoven (Andras Schiff live)
Summertime in the SGV
July 17th, 2008
So now living in the San Gabriel Valley (the OTHER Los Angeles area valley), one wonders where culture resides. Surely they it can be found in the megaplexes that dot the landscape playing summer blockbusters. Surely they it can also be found in the chain bookstores and coffee shops that provide many with a home away from home.
But here I actually mean culture…as in something unique and local. Here are three:
Southwest Chamber Music www.swmusic.org
This group plays throughout the year but in the summer they do concerts at the Huntington Library. Situated in San Marino, the Huntington Library is really a respite from the modern world. They have a great collection of paintings. They have a pricey afternoon tea. They have an amazing library (duh) that I think includes a Gutenberg Bible. They have lots of gardens featuring tons of plants from around the world including a recently unveiled Chinese garden (which continues their themed Asian gardens after their Japanese one).
To complement the Chinese garden, the upcoming Southwest Chamber concert on July 25-26 will feature a piece by Joan Huang about Suzhou, the area of China that inspired the garden. The following concert also features another Asian composer, Vietnamese composer Phuc Linh. Of course, they also include Mozart and Beethoven and other traditional classical composers on the bill as well.
If you need more convincing, check out this video of a guy explaining the idea behind the concert.
Stillspeaking Theatre stillspeakingtheatre.org
Alright, so what the heck am I doing promoting a Christian theatre company when I’m not really Christian nor do I plan to spend my entertainment hours being lectured about Christianity?
The answer is that the work is quality and not preachy. In fact, I walked away from their latest show, Facing East, questioning why a Christian ensemble would mount this show. It deals point blank with homosexuality in the Mormon faith and seems to condemn simply asking gay people to be celibate or excommunicated. On top of that, the writing of this show is quite good, featuring lots of imagined flashbacks that take us deep both in a Mormon family and the heartbreak of losing a son to suicide and having to deal with his gay lover, who is not Christian.
Incidentally, this is also located in San Marino not too far from the Huntington Library. It runs until August 3rd.
Summer Jubilee 2008
http://www.cityofalhambra.org/government/parks_recreation/Jubilee08.html
So going west of San Marino, what does the town of Alhambra have to offer…besides really good Chinese food?
Apparently they were able to get some known performers to come out and give free performances. Now, we’re not talking Jay-Z or Madonna here…let’s be reasonable. But The Beach Boys (July 26), Foreigner (August 2), and Kenny Loggins (August 9) isn’t the worst you could name. In fact, Beach Boys alone are pretty great…wonder if Brian Wilson himself is showing up.
In fact, downtown Alhambra has undergone a kind of upgrade with clubs, restaurants, and a megaplex. Other notable institutions include a great salsa club with live band and classes (Granada Club), a concept store with cool art and knick-knacks (Gallery Nucleus), and a microbrewery.
And for your troubles, here’s a short sweet summer-esque mp3:
No Commercial Interruptions
July 1st, 2008
Calm Ivan
June 27th, 2008
Ivan Colon (myspace) is a singer/songwriter type of the folky/Sufjian Stevens mold. If you like Stevens (and I suspect you do), Colon should do something for you as well. I know little of the man except that he’s from Redlands, California and likes to eat large quantities of cherries.
Oh yeah, and he has an EP dropping July 15. Anyways, his music speaks for itself.
