Derek is treating us to Alban Berg's Sonata, Op. 1. He shared a few comments with us before starting: This sonata is passionate and futuristic. It ends with death and tragedy. Originally, Berg had planned to write second and third movements for this piece. However, he couldn't come up with any satisfactory ideas. When Berg shared his problem with his teacher, Schoenberg, he replied that there wasn't anything more to say; Berg had said it all. Wang is performing this piece effectively and well, capturing the different moods in the work.
More Brahms! This time the Allegro amabile (movement 1) from Brahms' Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano in A major, Op. 100. Okay, a personal note here. While I enjoy Brahms, I find him a challenge to understand and interpret well. He has thick textures, lots of big chords, uses much syncopation, loves employing two-against-three and is a master at long, passionate melodic lines. I've been studying his rhapsodies and thus have been contemplating him much. Getting to hear other works with different combinations of instruments by the same composer is always beneficial in developing understanding of a composer, so I am really appreciating the Brahms sonata movements being performed today. Wang is joined by violinist, Jennifer Startt. In comparison to Brahms' first and third violin and piano sonatas, this movement is light and has moments of almost being care-free. The two did a lovely job presenting it.
Wang's concerto is the Schumann's concerto on A minor, Op. 54. He will be performing the first movement today with pianist Martha Fischer playing the orchestra part. Such a gripping first theme in this movement. Derek spoke about this piece: The opening three notes of the first theme are c, b-flat and a. In German this would be c, h and a. One of the greatest romances in musical history is that between Robert Schumann and Clara Weick. Many of Schumann's compositions allude directly and indirectly to her. In this concerto, perhaps that allusion that can be seen in the opening notes of the theme as Robert's nickname for Clara was Chiarina - C, H and A being three of the first four letters in that name. Through this movement as well the rest of the concerto, there is a sense of conversation between the soloist and orchestra. Maybe this is Robert and Clara conversing with each other? :) Wang has a very good sense for this concerto. He has also done some excellent voicing of the melody again the busyness of the accompaniment. Speaking of accompaniment, one of the challenges of this concerto is that is almost entirely built of broken chords. The opening theme being choral-like is about the only place in the first and last movements that there isn't arpeggios. And, of course, those broken chords aren't just arranged as an arpeggio would be, but in different patterns and different keys too. This means the pianist has to be rock-solid in his/her knowledge of the chord structure of this piece. The coda of this movement is one of my favorite piano concerto codas...passionate and intense. Well played by both pianists!
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