We join the world in a musical celebration of the 250th birth year of Ludwig van Beethoven, born December 16th, 1770. Currently considered the most performed composer in the world, Beethoven grew up in an age of revolution and his music expresses a great range of human dramas as well as an idealism inspired by values of the Enlightenment (Aufklarung).

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This 8-concert series presents chamber music works for strings and piano, starting from his compositions first published as a student of Haydn in Vienna through his experimental and visionary later works. These include all the violin/piano sonatas, all of the cello/piano variations and sonatas, and the complete works for piano trio.

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Each concert program in the series combines pieces with different instrumentations and from different periods of his life. The concert titles have been loosely inspired by aspects of Beethoven’s character as reflected in the music. But these titles are not meant in any way to be ‘defining’, as that would be impossible for an artist as complex and indefinable as Beethoven. Since he originally performed many of these works himself as a pianist together with his friends, this collection of piano chamber music literature can offer a beautiful and intimate view into Beethoven’s world.

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The performers have been associated with Klasik Keyifler (KK) in Cappadocia over the last 10 years as performers and faculty, and the organizer of this series is violinist Ellen Jewett, the founder and co-artistic director of KK. 

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A bit more about the music…

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Being one of the great virtuoso pianists of his time, it is not surprising that Beethoven would choose a set of piano trios to offer as his first official opus number (in 1794/95). As the 3rd generation of Beethovens to be employed by the Electorate of Cologne in Bonn (part of the Hapsburg Dynasty) he had played organ for church services, played viola in the court theatre and opera orchestras and started improvising and composing in primary school. But these piano trios Opus 1 were his first professional publications as a young freelance composer recently relocated to Vienna. His later 3 piano trios were composed (from 1808-11) during the same period as his dramatic 5th, 6th and 7h symphonies. Having been plagued by illnesses and debilitating hearing loss for years by this time, a quality of pathos as well as irrepressible power permeates his writing of this period. In each of these epic trios though, this intensity is balanced by musical expressions of humor, reverence, joy and nobility.  Other piano trios such as Beethoven’s arrangement of his 2nd symphony, and variations and short movements written before his Opus 1 have also been included in this series in order to profile his entire output within this genre.

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9 of the 10 violin sonatas were written in a short six-year period from 1797-1803 before he was 32 years old.  Each piece is unique and shines with the self-confidence and bravura of a composer at home with his craft. He kept ahead of the newest innovations and changes to the instruments, and pushed the technical and coloristic demands for performers in totally new directions culminating with the dazzling “Kreutzer” sonata. The 10th violin sonata was written 10 years later and is serene and otherworldly in character.

 

The works for piano and cello span through all 3 of Beethoven’s compositional periods, and again raise the instrumental and expressive levels beyond those of any of his predecessors.  The last 2 cello sonatas composed in 1815 are the only works within this body of piano/strings chamber music repertoire that were composed during Beethoven’s transcendent late period. Full of daring harmonic and structural shifts, this music moves effortlessly from one emotional state to another. As perplexing as this may be to comprehend, it may be best to follow Beethoven’s own advice: “Whoever gets to know and understand my music, will be freed from all the misery the world has to offer.”