Peter Takács' Beethoven Cycle Continues with Program VI on Thursday, January 20, 8 P.M. in Finney Chapel Story by Claire Chase Photos by Steven Manheim
	PROGRAM VI: Sonatas: • Op. 7 • Op. 49 Nos. 1 and 2 • Op. 90 • Op. 110 RELATED • Peter Takács' faculty page • Professor Peter Takács to Perform Concert V • Peter Takács Performs Concert Four of Beethoven Cycle • The Complete Concert Schedule • "The Mind of Beethoven," by Peter Takács		Professor of Pianoforte Peter Takács will again delight audiences on Thursday, January 20, with the sixth of his eight-recital journey through the 32 piano sonatas of Ludwig Van Beethoven. Initiated in November of 1998, the two-year Beethoven Cycle is only months away from its conclusion. Thursday's program begins at 8 p.m. in Finney Chapel and will feature Sonatas Op. 7, Op. 49 Nos. 1 and 2, Op. 90, and Op. 110. The concert is free and open to the public. "There's great variety in this program," explains Takács. "It certainly runs the gamut dramatically and historically. The sonatinas (Nos. 1 and 2) of Opus 49 were written very early in Beethoven's career (1795), while Op. 110 was the last sonata he wrote, in 1821. "The Sonata Op. 7 is in a very brilliant, early style, written in Vienna when the composer was still young and eager to prove himself as a virtuoso pianist. He introduced in this sonata the four-movement form, which was more symphonic in size, in place of the three-movement convention of Mozart and Haydn. The work is unusual in that it is a single piece in an opus - he usually writes sets - but this piece stands on its own. A distinguishing feature of early Beethoven is his beautifully expressed, deeply felt second movements, and this is especially the case in Op. 7." Takács continues, "Op. 90 is part of Beethoven's second transitional period in which he experimented with more lyrical, almost song-like expressiveness, sometimes compared to Schubert. Op. 110 is part of the set of Beethoven's last five sonatas (which begins with Op. 101). The first movement stands almost on its own, with a delightful pastoral simplicity, but the emotional center of the piece is the third and fourth movements, which are intertwined. The third movement begins with a recitative, followed by the Song of Lament. This is followed by a fugue which, to me, represents a kind of peaceful transcendence. Then the Song of Lament returns in a different key, more desperate than original statement. The second song is weak and sorrowful, and is followed by an inversion of the fugue, which gradually brings life back to the exhilaration that concludes the piece." Now more than half-way through his traversal of Beethoven's entire Piano Sonatas, Takács can, at long last, see "the light at the end of the tunnel." He adds, "It has been a remarkable experience being able to see Beethoven's entire cycle as a whole, viewing with closeness the recurring ideas that are transformed in so many different ways. Though the Hammerklavier (Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106) was by far the most climactic moment of the cycle, it is by no means a picnic from here on out!" About Peter Takács Takács was born in 1946 in Bucharest, Romania, and began his musical studies at the age of four. From the age of seven, he appeared in numerous recitals in his native country until his performances were banned due to his family's request for emigration. Upon arriving in France in 1961, he was accepted to the Conservatoire National de Paris, one the three places available for foreign students. Upon his arrival in the United States in 1962, his remarkable talents continued to be recognized with full scholarships to Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, and a three-year doctoral grant to the Peabody Conservatory where he completed his artistic training with the great pianist Leon Fleisher. Takács has received many prizes and awards, including first prize in the William Kapell International Piano Competition, the C.D. Jackson Award at the Tanglewood Fesitvalo, and a Special Award in the American Music-Rockefeller Foundation International Competition. As a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist grant, he recorded a number of Mozart Piano Concertos, acting as both soloist and conductor. He has appeared as a recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist throughout North America and abroad, in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street "Y", the Kennedy Center, the Philips Collection, the National Gallery of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. He has participated in summer festivals such as Chautauqua, Tanglewood, Skaneateles, Brandeis, and Music Mountain. Nationally known as a piano pedagogue, Takács has been a member of the jury for several international competitions. His performances of Gershwin song arrangements have been featured on NPR's "Performance Today." Upcoming Programs in the Beethoven Cycle: PROGRAM VII: March 16, 2000 Sonatas Op. 26 "Funeral March," Op. 13 "Pathétique," Op. 78, Op. 79, Op. 109 PROGRAM VIII: GRANDE FINALE: April 27, 2000 Sonatas Op. 28 "Pastorale," Op. 54, Op. 111
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