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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
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PETER TAKACS, PROFESSOR OF PIANOFORTE, TO PERFORM
THIRTY-TWO PIANO SONATAS BY LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
The two-year, eight-recital traversal begins November 19, 1998
"This undertaking has become a journey of self-discovery as I take the measure of my own deepening relationship with this Everest of musical challenges." - - Peter Takács
OBERLIN, OH -- On Thursday, November 19, 1998, Peter Takács will perform the first of a two-year, eight-recital traversal of the 32 Piano Sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in Finney Chapel on the Oberlin College campus. It is free and open to the public.
PROGRAM I: November 19, 1998
Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1
Allegro
Adagio
Menuetto: Allegretto
Prestissimo
Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2 No. 2
Allegro vivace
Largo appassionato
Scherzo: Allegretto
Rondo: Grazioso
Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 No. 3
Allegro con brio
Adagio
Scherzo: Allegro
Allegro assai
Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101
Rather lively and with deepest feeling
Lively, march-like
Slow and with yearning - -
Fast, but not too fast, and with determination
When asked why he initiated this ambitious project, Takács replied: "I have lived with these magnificent works, as performer and teacher, for many years. I find in them a record of a great composer's development from his youth as a brilliant virtuoso to the peaks of musical maturity. One recurrent aspect of these sonatas is their strikingly modern relevance as universal statements about the human condition--about struggle and suffering, healing and transcendence. In them one gleans a mind intent on surprising and delighting the listener, pushing the envelope of accepted rules, and being inspired by nature both in its pastoral serenity and its turbulence (reflecting his inner turmoil as well).
"There is great pleasure in tackling the physical aspects of this music. The sheer instrumental demands are challenging, but never as displays of virtuosity. There is also pleasure in a kind of lateral thinking, in examining other works--especially the symphonies, string quartets, and the opera 'Fidelio'--for hints of deeper meanings in these piano works, in terms of instrumental coloring and emotional content."
PROGRAM II: JANUARY 21, 1999
Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 22
Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14 No. 1
Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14 No. 2
Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53, "Waldstein"
PROGRAM III: MARCH 11, 1999
Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 1
Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2
Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10 No. 3
Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata"
PROGRAM IV: APRIL 29, 1999
Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27 No. 1
Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2, "Moonlight"
Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"
1999-2000 dates TBA
Program V: Sonatas Op. 31/1, 2 ("Tempest"), 3; Op. 81a (Les Adieux)
Program VI: Sonatas Op 7, Op. 49/1, 2, Op. 90, Op. 110
Program VII: Sonatas Op. 26 ("Funeral March"), Op. 13 ("Pathétique"), Op. 78, Op. 79, Op 109
Program VIII: Sonatas Op. 28 ("Pastorale"), Op. 54, Op. 111
