Beethoven: Sonata in E-flat Major, “The Hunt“ (Kovacevich, Biret)

Beethoven’s last sonata is one of the most warm, big-hearted, lyrical things he wrote. It’s the second-last sonata in 4 movements (the last is the Hammerklavier), and it contains no slow movements. (Also worth noting that 3 of them are in full-fledged sonata form!) The first movement is a total delight to listen to: from the surprising harmony that opens the piece, to the richly textured chordal response and the theme group that grows out of it, the repeated recollections of the sort-of-motivic-introduction that begins the work (cf the Pathetique!), & the wonderful soaring thing that is the second theme, all air and light. The second movement is one of my all-time favourites: it’s hilarious & a total earworm. Everything comes together so well: the bassoon-like bass, the off-beat accents, the absurd little held F across bars 2&3, the violent contrasts and semidemiquaver-against-semiquaver textures in the second theme, those repeated Cs that sound like the performer has had a disastrous memory slip. The third movement is the last minuet movement Beethoven ever wrote: after this sonata it looked like the form didn’t quite have enough dramatic potential for him, although what we have here is a real nice example of Beethoven’s ability to write a beautiful melody when he really wanted to. The last movement is full of rhythmic swagger: from the tarantella-like first idea, to the vigorously funny second, to the insistent third, & the suddenly coruscating textures (almost Waldstein-like) that suddenly emerge, everything comes together perfectly in an utterly natural expression of pure joy. MVT I, Allegro EXPOSITION 00:00 – Theme Group 1, quasi-introduction (two motifs: a dotted-rhythm falling 5th and four chords, three short following by one long). Note recurrence through movement. 00:26 – “Main Entrance” of Theme 1 (developing the two motifs just introduced) 00:45 – Transition, following the quasi-introduction 01:02 – Theme Group 2, Theme 2 01:25 – Theme Group 2, Theme 3 01:46 – Codetta DEVELOPMENT 03:55 – Development of quasi-introduction, landing on C min at 4:02 04:07 – Falling 5th motif 04:11 – Theme 1, in C 04:21 – A distinctly orchestral variation on Theme 1, emphasizing the three-short-one-long motif with gently muted dissonances in the bass. Modulation to F. Note also that the run at 4:28 (and similar passages) borrows from the arpeggiated flourish in Theme 3 04:38 – Modulation, which 04:48 – lands on an F min chord, in turn revealed as RECAPITULATION 04:54 – the supertonic chord of Eb maj, thus ushering back the quasi-introduction 05:38 – Theme Group 2 enters, this time without a transition 06:32 – We get the original codetta, which sounds like it’s bringing things to a close, but this only leads to the real CODA 06:42 – The quasi-introduction, this time implying Ab maj 06:51 – The dominant seventh harmony signals a new harmonic twist 07:01 – which seems to lead back to familiar territory. The quasi-introduction seems to be repeated normally, but 07:19 – instead pauses, and leads to a lovely closing passage. MVT II, Scherzo: Allegretto vivace 07:40 – Theme 1 08:23 – Theme 2 08:41 – Theme 3 (or an extended cadence, if you like) DEVELOPMENT 10:11 – The music slips into C maj 10:14 – Theme 1 10:21 – Theme 2, in Bb min, modulating into C min 10:36 – Theme 1 10:40 – Variation on Theme 1, with glissando-like passages RECAPTULATION 11:06 – Theme 1 11:30 – More voices are added into Theme 1 11:50 – Theme 2, appearing in a rather shocking key 12:08 – Theme 3 12:05 – CODA MVT III, Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso 12:33 – Menuet, Part A 13:04 – Menuet, Part B 13:33 – Trio, Part A 14:01 – Trio, Part B 14:51 – Menuet, Part A 15:35 – Menuet, Part B 15:50 – Coda MVT IV, Presto con fuoco EXPOSITION 16:11 – Theme 1, Part 1 16:18 – Theme 1, Part 2 16:32 – Theme 2 16:50 – Theme 3 (Or extended cadence) DEVELOPMENT 17:50 – Theme 1 Part 2, in Gb 17:58 – Theme 1 Part 2, reduction, in F# 18:01 – Transition to B min, beginning of modulating sequence. G maj, C min, Ab maj (VI of C min), Db maj (Neapolitan of C min), V7 of C min/maj, then C maj 18:16 – Theme 1 Part 2, in C 18:21 – Introduction of diminished 7th harmony, modulation 18:32 – Recollection of figuration from Theme 2. Ab, F min, Bb V7 chords. RECAPITULATION 18:49 – Theme 1, with rhythmic gaps now filled in 19:09 – Surprising shift to Gb maj 19:13 – Theme 2, in Gb 19:31 – Theme 3, which at first refuses to modulate, further establishing Gb 19:38 – Theme 3 slips into Eb min 19:45 – We arrive at V7 of Eb min, also V7 of Eb maj, so arrive at the CODA 19:55 – Theme 1, in LH (but jumping all over the keyboard) modulating to F min and Ab maj 20:12 – A nice little sequence: pause on a dramatic diminished 7th chord, Theme 1 Part 1 in stretto, an elaboration on the LH texture of T1, and then another pause on a diminished 7th 20:21 – Theme 1 Part 1 in stretto, fragmented, then transformed into a chromatic elaboration on the V7, and then the final cadence. .