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Home , Cello, Cello sonata, David Finckel

Lisa Marie Mazzucco

Streaming Premieres Thursday, November 12, 2020, 7pm ( Nos. 1–3) Thursday, November 19, 2020, 7pm (Sonatas Nos. 4–5)

David Finckel, ,

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) The Five Sonatas for Cello and Piano

Filmed exclusively for Cal Performances at ArtistLed Studio, Ardsley, NY, on September 30, 2020.

David Finckel and Wu Han appear by with David Rowe Artists (www.davidroweartists.com). Public Relations and Press Representative: Milina Barry PR (www.milinabarrypr.com). David Finckel and Wu Han recordings are available exclusively through ArtistLed (www.artistled.com). www.davidfinckelandwuhan.com Wu Han performs on the Steinway Piano.

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PROGRAM

PREMIERING NOV 12

Cello No. 1 in F major, Op. 5, No. 1 (1796) Adagio sostenuto – Allegro Rondo: Allegro vivace

Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2 (1796) Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo – Allegro molto più tosto presto Rondo: Allegro

INTERMISSION

Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 (1808) Allegro ma non tanto Scherzo: Allegro molto Adagio cantabile – Allegro vivace

PREMIERING NOV 19

Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1 (1815) Andante – Allegro vivace Adagio – d’andante – Allegro vivace

Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102, No. 2 (1815) Allegro con brio Adagio con molto sentimento d’affetto Allegro fugato

Note: the complete set of sonatas will be available on demand beginning on November 13; it will remain online through February 10, 2021.

Opposite: David Finckel and Wu Han. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco. 3 PROGRAM NOTES

Notes on the Music: and the piano introduces the Allegro main by David Finckel and Michael Feldman theme, ornamented in the style of Mozart, full of details and virtuosity. The second theme The Early Works: begins with serious-sounding chromaticism but The Sonatas & Variations of 1796 ends light and carefree, moving through vir- These pieces are milestones of the cello litera- tuosic scales to a sequence in eighth- ture. Although during the 18th century, the notes full of playful rhythmic confusion. In the cello had gradually come to be regarded as a exuberant closing material, the pianist’s hands solo as well as an accompanying instrument, leap over one another with forceful answers neither Mozart nor Haydn had composed from the cello, followed by a contemplative a cello sonata. Beethoven was the first major coda leading to the repeat of the exposition. The composer to write works with equally impor- development section shows the composer’s tant roles for the cello and piano. ever-lurking stormy side and a surprise forte announces the recapitulation. As in many of Cello Sonatas Op. 5, Nos. 1 and 2 Beethoven’s , there is a lengthy writ- Composed: Berlin, in the late spring or summer ten-out cadenza, beginning with a short fugato of 1796. Beethoven was on his first and only passage. An obsessive sixteenth-note figure in significant concert tour, which also included the the right hand of the piano leads to an unex- cities of Prague, Leipzig, and Dresden. He was pectedly droll and sleepy Adagio that is inter- 25 years old. rupted by a wild Prestissimo. The movement Dedicated to: King Friedrich Wilhelm II, concludes happily and vigorously. nephew and successor to Frederick the Great. The last movement is an exciting ride full of The king was an amateur cellist and devotee virtuosic outbursts from both instruments. One of the instrument who had entertained both can imagine the court’s amazement at the spec- Mozart and Haydn at his court. Both of these tacle of Beethoven devouring the keyboard in composers had already dedicated string quar- this finale. The only calm moments are dreamy tets featuring prominent cello parts to the king. interludes of piano over cello drones. First performance: 1796, during the visit to Near the finish, a longritard winds the action Berlin, at the royal palace. Beethoven played the down to a standstill, and once the composer has piano, and it is thought that Jean-Louis Duport, us in the palm of his hand, he ends the work with rather than his older brother, Jean-Pierre, was an explosion of notes from both instruments. the cellist. The Duports were renowned virtu- osos who lived in Berlin and played in the king’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2 . It is likely that Beethoven and Jean- Beethoven enjoyed surprising and even scaring Louis Duport performed the G major Judas his listeners. The opening Adagio sostenuto ed Maccabaeus variations on this occasion as well. espressivo does just that. A jarring G minor Published: February 1797, Vienna chord is quickly hushed by the marking forte- Other works from this period: the Piano Trios piano, itself a novel idea, and a spooky scale Op. 1, Piano Sonatas Op. 2 and Op. 7. During descends in the piano (foreshadowing the slow the following year, Beethoven began compos- movement of the Ghost Trio, which he would ing sonatas for piano and . write in 1808). The motifs and themes of this music are more fully developed than those of the Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5, No. 1 F major sonata’s introduction, creating a move- Beetho ven begins his first cello sonata with cau- ment of much greater substance. Unbelievably tion—hesitations and tense silences lead to long silences near the end hold the listener melodic ideas that are left undeveloped, as under a spell that is broken quietly by the though the sonata is struggling to begin. After brooding Allegro molto più tosto presto. In a climactic cadential flourish, the music pauses contrast to the previous sonata, the cello takes

4 PROGRAM NOTES the theme first, passing it back and forth with Composed: sketches appear in 1807, among the piano. This is a remarkable movement, those for the Fifth . Completed in emotionally multi-layered even through the Vienna in the spring of 1808. Beethoven was 38. frequent stormy sections. In the development, Dedicated to: Baron Ignaz von Gleichenstein, the excitement continues until a new theme an amateur cellist and one of Beethoven’s enters, dance-like and delicate, the accompani- closest friends and advisers from 1807–10. ment changing from nervous triplets to steady Gleichen stein helped to organize a consortium eighth notes. At the recapitulation, the theme is of sponsors who offered Beethoven a guaran- beautifully harmonized, intensifying the emo- teed annual stipend to remain in Vienna. It is tion. The movement proceeds tempestuously to thought that the dedication of the sonata was the finish. a gesture of thanks to Gleichenstein. After the By contrast, the Rondo is a study in gaiety agreement was signed, Beethoven asked Glei- and the joy of virtuosity. The movement begins chenstein to help him find a wife. with a joke: it starts out squarely in First performance: not documented. A year C major instead of the expected G major. After after the work was completed, Beethoven com- a moment, the music slides into the home key, plained that the sonata “had not yet been well a trick Beethoven used later in the finale of the performed in public.” The first record of a per- Piano No. 4, also in G major. Virtu- formance is from 1812, when the sonata was osic stunts abound: for piano, for cello, and played by Beethoven’s pupil Carl Czerny and again for piano. A dark episode is dispelled Joseph Linke, the cellist who would later give by a chromatic passage returning to the main the first performance of the Op. 102 sonatas. theme, which leads to an extended middle Linke was the cellist of the Razumovsky Quar- section in C major and a new theme. The in- tet, which premiered many of Beethoven’s struments trade virtuosic displays in an almost string . competitive fashion. The cello surprises by sub- Published: 1809, Leipzig. stituting an unexpected E-flat in the theme, and Other works from this period: the Fifth and this event wrenches the music into the foreign Sixth , the Fourth , key of A-flat major. the Choral Fantasy, and the Piano Trios, Op. 70. After a full recapitulation, sweeping scales in the piano herald an extended and brilliant coda. After presenting the noble theme alone, the One can imagine Beethoven, filled with the cof- cello rests on a low note while the piano con- fee he loved to drink, rattling away on the keys. tinues to a cadenza. The music is then repeated After some pompous closing music, the piano with the roles reversed, the cello playing an as- settles things down to a standstill only to have cending cadenza marked dolce. The mood is the cello burst in with the main theme in jump- rudely broken by a ferocious version of the ing . Joyful wildness concludes the sonata. theme in minor that quickly dissipates to allow for the entrance of the second subject, a beau- tiful combination of a rising scale (cello) against The “Heroic Period” Sonata of 1808: a falling (piano). The cello and piano Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 continue trading motifs, each repeating what One of the greatest works in the cello litera- the other has just played. A heroic closing ture, the A major sonata was composed by theme is the culmination of the section and a Beetho ven in the midst of one of his most phe- brief, contemplative recollection of the opening nomenally prolific periods. The new promi- motif leads to the repeat of the exposition. nence of the cello, the sweeping use of the The development explores even more in- instrument’s range, and the long, singing lines credible worlds, turning mysterious, rhapsodic, all herald the full flowering of the cello’s role in stormy, soaring, and mystical before reaching the duo sonata. the recapitulation, where the cello plays the

5 PROGRAM NOTES

theme in its original form against triplet deco- The Late Sonatas of 1815: rations in the piano. The coda is thoughtful, and Cello Sonatas Op. 102, Nos. 1 and 2 an extended chromatic buildup leads to a heroic Composed: Vienna, July – August 1815, at the statement of the theme. After some dreamy, lan- age of 44. They are the last works Beethoven guishing music almost dies away, Beethoven fin- wrote for piano and a solo instrument. ishes this great movement with a surprise forte. Dedicated to: Countess Marie von Erdödy, a The extraordinary Scherzo is the only ap- long-time patron of Beethoven and a good am- pearance of a scherzo (meaning “joke”) in all ateur pianist. Many of Beethoven’s works were five sonatas. The music begins on the upbeat, played at her house concerts, and she remained and the 3-1 rhythm never ceases, even in the loyal to Beethoven in his later years, when his happier trio section. Although there are many music was losing its widespread public appeal. clever exchanges, the incessant, manic energy First performance: the summer of 1815, at the leaves the distinct impression that this scherzo country estate of the countess. Joseph Linke was is no joke. the cellist and the countess played the piano. A short Adagio cantabile, a beautiful song for Published: 1817, Bonn. both instruments, relieves the nervousness of Other works from this period: very few. These the scherzo. A moment of hesitation leads to the sonatas are regarded as Beethoven’s only sig- quiet, almost surreptitious appearance of the nificant works from the year 1815. final Allegro vivace. The theme, though happy like its predecessors in the earlier sonatas, is Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1 more lyrical and has greater emotional depth. Beyond the heroic struggles of his middle pe- It introduces a movement in which the com- riod, and by this time almost completely deaf, poser employs virtuosity not as an end in itself, Beethoven looked to the future in his last two but as a means of creating internal excitement. cello sonatas. As in the A major sonata, the The second subject presents a difference of cello begins alone, but in an entirely new world. opinion between cello and piano, the cello Whereas the A major theme is solid and firmly singing a short phrase, the piano responding grounded in the cello’s lower register, this one with percussive eighth-notes. The development breathes an unearthly air, and the entire section is mostly wild, with flying scales and Andante seems to float somewhere beyond re- pounding octaves. the recapitula- ality. The writing is contrapuntal, with inde- tion, Beethoven employs the basic materials pendent voices of equal importance moving of the movement: the rhythmic eighth-note gently against each other. The thematic mate- accompaniment is combined with chromatic rial is once again more complex: the decorative gropings for the main theme. The coda is full of elements Beethoven once applied in his early thoughtfulness and pathos. There is a sense of period are now fused seamlessly into the larger reflection amidst excitement, of Beethoven structure. Long trills function not merely as or- yearning to be understood yet with satisfaction naments but as , adding inner in- denied. After a series of repeatedly unsuccessful tensity to the sound. attempts to reach the home key, A major is fi- The demonic and anguished Allegro vivace nally attained, as the eighth-note melody accel- shatters the hypnotic serenity, Beethoven using erates to frenzied sixteenths. The ending is every possible device to contrast with the pre- triumphant, as Beethoven hammers his point vious music. Not only dynamics, rhythm, and home, the cello repeating the first bar of the texture are changed but also tonality: the rest of theme over and over again with the piano the movement is no longer in the sonata’s main pounding out the eighth-note accompaniment key of C major but in the relative A minor. (In (“I will not give up!”). the Op. 5 sonatas, both introductions and sub- sequent movements were in the same key). This movement is written in a style new to Beetho - ven’s cello works. In his late period, the com-

6 PROGRAM NOTES poser drastically varied the length of his move- Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102, No. 2 ments. Some of his shorter movements, while This final sonata bears similarities to one of the having all the structural requirements, are de- composer’s late string quartets, Op. 130. Both void of transitions—Beethoven simply stops works employ elements, such as the writing one kind of music and begins writing continuous sixteenth-note patterns found in another, as if manners and civility had ceased Vivaldi and Bach. Beethoven’s application of to matter. This happens near the outset of the this style is powerful: in the opening Allegro Allegro, where Beethoven uses a surprise con brio, he uses the figurations like weapons, F-sharp to stop the motion dead in its tracks. firing them off here and there, like a frightened Out of nowhere, the second subject ap- soldier in the dark. (Schubert may well have pears—soothing, quiet, but only for a moment. heard and copied Beethoven’s opening five Turmoil returns and the feisty movement is at notes in his Death and the Maiden of the double bar before one realizes it. A very 1826, which also includes Baroque-style pas- brief development section contains two ideas: a sage work). Although showing strength and contrapuntal one followed by a brief chorale, confidence, this movement contains odd tenta- leading to the stormy recapitulation. An abrupt tive moments, for example the vague and dis- “get out and stay out!” ending concludes the tracted-sounding transition to the second movement. (An interesting comparison is the subject. In the development, there is feverish first movement of the Op. 95Serioso Quartet.) wandering, madness, and confusion. No longer Beethoven was fascinated by the stars and is composing music that was easy to understand, reported to have composed in his head while Beethoven gradually came to be regarded as a contemplating the mysteries of the universe. mad genius. Certainly the slow-motion Adagio evokes an The next movement, especially, offers an ex- otherworldly atmosphere. The movement’s traordinary contrast to the heavenliness of the timeless feeling is gently punctuated by fleeting previous sonata. As with the Op. 5 sonatas, scales, as distant as comets. The mystery soon Beethoven took a giant step forward with the turns to brooding, with a turbulent modulation second of the set. Indeed, the haunting second moving through several keys before coming to movement is the most profound music in the an inconclusive halt. At this moment, a different entire cycle, the deathly opening evoking kind of music emerges, deeply tender in a way images of funerals. Beethoven uses thickly- that is unique to Beethoven. He then proceeds written chords in the piano to create a muddy, to create something unexpected and of inspired rumbling sound (he could be called the first beauty: the sonata’s opening theme reappears, tone-painter of the piano). After the suspense- but this time so warmly that its first incarnation ful opening, a dirge begins, the pianist’s left seems only a dream. Phrases repeat over and hand sounding like the slow falling of ’ over, as if asking for something in prayer. After hooves. A new theme and a change to D major this deeply confessional episode, the Allegro recall better times. The return of the opening vivace begins in a humorous way, and we are music is more complex harmonically. A skip- off on a frisky and sometimes funny adventure, ping, dotted rhythm introduces a vision of a full of fantasy and invention. There are inex- dance of death—the smiling skull, the skeletal plicable starts and stops that must have , the black hood. sounded very strange to listeners in Beetho- The transition to the finale contains mo- ven’s time (as indeed they still do). There is a ments of supreme intimacy. The magical mod- fugato passage and, at the end, a brilliant coda ulation to B-flat major takes the listener to a that shows he had not lost interest in using vir- place beyond the pain of all that preceded, see- tuosic feats to create excitement. After a brief ing the light of heaven for a brief moment. unwinding, a surprise finish recalls the end of An unexpected dip downwards to C-sharp the F major sonata. minor brings back the sensation of a cold grave.

7 PROGRAM NOTES

However, Beethoven unexpectedly starts to play sections. Completely baffling to listeners in games, introducing the finale in much the same Beetho ven’s own time, the movement still way as he did in his previous sonata. In the final shocks the ear. This fugue, victorious in its con- movement, the Allegro fugato, Beethoven takes quest of a new language, looks forward to the the piano and cello sonata to new realms. music of the 21st century, and is a fitting con- Reaching the pinnacle of integration, the two clusion to Beethoven’s towering literature for instruments join together to create a dancing piano and cello. fugue full of dissonance even in its cheerful

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

David Finckel and Wu Han are among the CMS Studio Recordings label, the society’s part- most esteemed and influential classical musi- nership with Deutsche Grammophon, CMS’s cians in the world today. They are recipients of live stream programming, and Music@Menlo Musical America’s Musicians of the Year award, LIVE, which has been praised as “the most am- one of the highest honors granted by the music bitious recording project of any industry. The energy, imagination, and integrity festival in the world” (San Jose Mercury News). they bring to their multifaceted endeavors as David Finckel and Wu Han have received concert performers, artistic directors, record- universal praise for their passionate commit- ing artists, educators, and cultural entrepre- ment to nurturing the artistic growth of count- neurs go unmatched. less young artists through a wide array of David Finckel and Wu Han are currently educational initiatives. Under their leadership in their third term as artistic directors of the at CMS, the Bowers Program identifies and in- Society of . ducts the finest young chamber artists into the Under their leadership, CMS is celebrating entire spectrum of CMS activities. Their three global broadcasting initiatives that bring Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo has chamber music to new audiences around the provided hundreds of students with incompa- world via partnerships with Medici TV, Radio rable, immersive musical experiences over 17 Television Hong Kong, and the All Arts broad- summers. From 2009–18, David Finckel and cast channel. David Finckel and Wu Han are the Wu Han directed the LG Chamber Music founders and artistic directors of Music@Menlo School in , which served dozens of in Silicon Valley, and of Chamber Music Today, young musicians annually, and they also led an an annual festival held in , South Korea. intensive chamber music studio at the Aspen Wolf Trap appointed Wu Han to serve as artis- Music Festival and School. David Finckel and tic advisor of its Chamber Music at the Barns Wu Han’s website recently launched a new series, and this season, she is in residence at initiative that addresses the challenges and Montclair State University. opportunities facing today’s classical music per- Leaders of the classical recording industry, formers and presenters. the two created ArtistLed in 1997, the first David Finckel and Wu Han reside in New musician-directed and internet-based classical York. recording company. David Finckel and Wu Han For more information, please visit the artists’ have also overseen the establishment of the website at www.davidfinckelandwuhan.com.

8 CREDITS

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For Cal Performances OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE OFFICE Jeremy Little, Production Manager Jeremy Geffen, Executive and Artistic Director Alan Herro, Production Admin Manager Kelly Brown, Executive Assistant to the Director Kevin Riggall, Head Carpenter Matt Norman, Head Electrician ADMINISTRATION Tom Craft, Audio/Video Department Head Andy Kraus, Director of Strategy and Jo Parks, Video Engineer Administration Amy Ferrara, Event Manager/Greek Theatre Calvin Eng, Chief Financial Officer Tiffani Snow, Event Manager Rafael Soto, Finance Specialist Ginarose Perino, Rental Business Manager Marilyn Stanley, Finance Specialist Rob Bean, Event Operations Manager Gawain Lavers, Applications Programmer Marybeth Baluyot, Assistant Manager, Ingrid Williams, IT Support Analyst Audience Services Sean Nittner, Systems Administrator STAGE CREW ARTISTIC PLANNING Charles Clear, Senior Scene Technician Katy Tucker, Director of Artistic Planning David Ambrose, Senior Scene Technician Robin Pomerance, Artistic Administrator Jacob Heule, Senior Scene Technician DEVELOPMENT Jorg Peter “Winter” Sichelschmidt, Taun Miller Wright, Chief Development Officer Senior Scene Technician Elizabeth Meyer, Director of Institutional Giving Joseph Swails, Senior Scene Technician Jennifer Sime, Associate Director of Mark Mensch, Senior Scene Technician Development, Individual Giving Mathison Ott, Senior Scene Technician Jamie McClave, Individual Giving Mike Bragg , Senior Scene Technician and Special Events Officer Ricky Artis, Senior Scene Technician Alex Higgins, Director of Annual Fund Robert Haycock, Senior Scene Technician Jocelyn Aptowitz, Major Gifts Associate STUDENT MUSICAL ACTIVITIES EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Mark Sumner, Director, UC Choral Ensembles Rica Anderson, Interim Director, Artistic Literacy Bill Ganz, Associate Director, UC Choral Ensembles HUMAN RESOURCES Matthew Sadowski, Director, Cal Marching Band Judy Hatch, Human Resources Director Ted Moore, Director, UC Ensembles Shan Whitney, Human Resources Generalist Brittney Nguyen, SMA Coordinator

9 CREDITS

TICKET OFFICE Major support for the Cal Performances Liz Baqir, Ticket Services Manager Digital Classroom is provided by Wells Fargo. Gordon Young, Assistant Ticket Office Manager Sherice Jones, Assistant Ticket Office Manager Major support for Beyond the Stage is provided Jeffrey Mason, Patron Services Associate by Bank of America. calperformances.org Opening fanfare used by permission from Jordi Savall from his 2015 recording of Monteverdi's © 2020 Regents of the University of California L'Orfeo on Alia Vox.

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