Ludwig Van Beethoven, "Missa Solemnis"

Ludwig Van Beethoven
"Missa Solemnis"
EMI (1966)
1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

Martin Luther was generally correct when he attacked the Catholic Church for its selling of "indulgences" in order to raise funds for ornate cathedrals (plus exorbitant lifestyles for its bishops). One aspect of Renaissance christianity that neither I (nor Luther) will complain about is the Baroque masses composed by Beethoven, Bach and others.

Technically, neither of the aforementioned composers were "Renaissance;" that age had passed. However, the complex forms of sacred music advanced by true Renaissance-era composers such as Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina were still very much in fashion. If you thought Bach's Mass in B Minor (which we looked at several months ago) was a little more highfalutin than the typical fare at your local church, you ain't seen nothing yet. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis ("solemn mass") is intimidating, even compared to most non-sacred music.

First, understand that adding vocals to any piece of classical music is going to make the conductor's job a little tougher. Now, as opposed to just controlling the orchestra, he's watching over a group of singers as well. As with most vocal pieces, there's also a soloist. The only thing is that Beethoven decided on four soloists. Therefore conductor Otto Klemperer is simultaneously keeping watch over the New Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, and also four soloists, who Beethoven has given vastly different parts. "Kyrie, misere nobis," indeed.

The frequently-dueling vocalists (soprano Elisabeth Söderström, contralto Marga Höffgen, tenor Waldemar Kmentt and bass Martti Talvela) are the obvious highlight. A few minutes into the opening Kyrie movement, and each is already at work. Beethoven was going deaf as he wrote this, but he still understood the capabilities of the human voice, and he opted to push them in this piece. His pushing was evident based on the occasional feedback from my MacBook speakers (which are, admittedly, a subpar brand for audio). The contrapuntal play between male and female voices throughout, particularly during the Agnus Dei movement, is another strong point.

It's unfortunate that the order in which a mass travels is more-or-less set in stone, because it limits where a composer can put the movements. The Gloria movements are usually the most exciting (and therefore would be better finales), and Beethoven's is no exception. Part one, "Gloria In Excelsis Deo," features everything that makes good, uptempo classical: vocals switching between harmonies and individual parts, and quick chord shifts that still trouble musicians today. Unfortunately, it appears early on, as is tradition.

The only instance of the instruments getting their fair share of the spotlight is during the Sanctus movement, when the vocalists take a break for three minutes and a single violin rises above the bedlam. Just smile and nod; the chorus and soloists will be back shortly.

INTERESTING FACT: The most famous portrait of Beethoven is that from German artist Joseph Karl Stieler. If you look closely, you'll see that the document that the composer is working on is the Missa Solemnis.

"Kyrie"

Ludwig van Beethoven
"Piano Concertos Nos. 4-5"
Alpha Productions (2005)
1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

Ours is a culture that has gotten used to the remix. The most popular genre for the act is hip-hop, where dozens of artists will release their own version of a popular single. Many fans are dismayed when they buy an album, only to find out that the radio version of a song they love is actually a remix of the original track. Of course, rock has remixes as well, and the improvisation inherent in jazz makes every playing of a song a remix of sorts. The last place people look for remixes is the classical scene, but as Moon explains for this version of Beethoven's fourth and fifth piano concertos, we've been remixing them for years.

Music like this wasn't often performed in grand concert halls as it is today. Generally, it was performed privately for parties at the homes of the composer's benefactor. Needless to say, Beethoven didn't take 100 performers, such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with him when he performed. Realistically, such pieces were performed by somewhere around 20 musicians. Another major difference is that modern concert pianos are generally grands, while such an instrument didn't exist during the Baroque era. Beethoven, rather, played a fortepiano.

Pianist Arthur Schoonderwoerd and the Ensemble Cristofori aim to perform a true "cover" of Concertos Nos. 4 and 5, not a remix. The Ensemble is "small" relative to its bigger brothers and Schoonderwoerd is true to the era, playing a fortepiano.

Much of the noticeable difference between this and the version we previously looked at, as performed by Rudolf Serkin, is in the choice of piano and the piano player. The output between a Steinway grand and a fortepiano is more evident than you might think. Imagine the playing of Serkin from the last recording we heard, and then imagine the sound of an upright piano (you know; the pianos always being banged in a prototypical western saloon). The former is as smooth as it gets, and the latter jingles like a security guard's keys. The fortepiano is closer to the former, but it holds more than a hint of that jingling tone.

Moon argues that the smaller ensemble allows a better "discussion" between the piano and orchestra, but I'm not sure I agree. A group of 20 might be smaller than a group of 100, but the fortepiano is also more subdued than a grand, and therefore doesn't rise above its accompaniment. Schoonderwoerd, God bless him, is also not on Serkin's level. He's qualified, but the fluidity of Serkin's playing is something to be marveled at.

You'll be glad, as I was, that these two interpretations of Beethoven's fourth and fifth are noticeably different. To be honest, I'm a little torn between which version I like better. Serkin's talent is impressive, but there's something to be said about the scaled down performance of the Ensemble Cristofori.

INTERESTING FACT: The Ensemble Cristofori is probably named after Bartolomeo Cristofori, and Italian harpsichord-maker who is credited as the inventor of the fortepiano.

"Piano Concertos Nos. 4-5" (Today you get the whole performance, because that's the only link I could find. Lucky you!)

Ludwig van Beethoven, "Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5"

Ludwig Van Beethoven
"Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5"
Orfeo (2005)
1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

In one of my least professional and most whiny introductory paragraphs, I must say that Beethoven's "Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5" as performed by Rudolf Serkin was the most painful and difficult recordings yet to find, and I hope nothing surpasses it. I've gotten used to local libraries not carrying albums, and YouTube is not huge on specific classical recordings, but both illegal and even legal forms of download were difficult to find in this case. Good luck finding this one guys.

Oh, but right, the recording: Pretty good if you've got it in you to listen to nearly three hours of concertos in one sitting. Before launching into this recording in particular, a few basics on piano concertos in Beethoven's day: For one thing, three movements was en vogue. The first movement was typically an allegro or at a similar pace, followed by a slower (often darker as well, although not necessarily) second movement, and the third movement recapitulating the themes of the first in finale form.

Moon pays special attention to the latter three concertos, as he should, largely because of the middle movements. He indicates No. 3 as evidence of Beethoven's "mastery of the dark and imposing minor-key music that would dominate his later output." No. 3 is gloomy (and good!) but Nos. 4 and 5 don't share the mood. 4 is in G major and 5 in E-flat major, being split by a slower Andante and Adagio movement respectively, and if they were supposed to sound dark, no one told Serkin.

Beethoven was a masterful pianist, and it's only fair that someone of Serkin's talent take up this task. Serkin was 74 when he recorded these five pieces with the Symphony of the Bavarian Radio. Again, no one told his hands this. Serkin's fleet fingers produce waves upon waves of notes during the Allegro Moderato opening to No. 4, including hints of what would become "Rhapsody in Blue" under the hand of George Gershwin. Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 are more lightweight, but listening to Serkin whip through No. 4 and the instantly recognizable theme of No. 5 makes the claim that Beethoven had lost his playfulness with age seem absurd. No matter how old Eddie Van Halen gets, he's going to play a guitar like Eddie Van Halen. The same applies to Beethoven.

After my complaints about finding this recording, I wouldn't blame you for opting to pass on it, especially as it's nearly three hours of classical music. I'll give you a free pass, considering that the next Beethoven album we'll be looking at is just Concertos Nos. 4 and 5.

INTERESTING FACT: At classical performances back in the day, pianists had assistants turn the pages of the sheet music for them. Beethoven had his friend Ignaz van Seyfried turning pages for him during the debut of No. 3, but the latter claimed it was just for show. He said that Beethoven only had Egyptian hieroglyphics drawn on the pages, which apparently served as mental reminders as to what was coming next.

"Piano Concerto No. 4" (note: This is not the performance featured on the recording, but it is Serkin playing the piano so I went with it. Sorry.)

Ludwig van Beethoven, "The Archduke Trio/Kreutzer Sonata"

Ludwig van Beethoven
"Archduke Trio / Kreutzer Sonata"
Naxos (2002)
1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

I don't know about you, but going through that five-album Beatles slog made me really happy to get to the Beau Brummels. This is one of the downsides to Tom Moon's book; there are a few artists that he finds worthy of multiple entries, and due to the alphabetical nature of the collection, systematic bloggers like me are forced to approach all of the artist's work at once. There are three artists that have six entries: Miles Davis, The Beatles (as we've seen), and Ludwig van Beethoven, who unfortunately comes so near to The Beatles alphabetically. This one might be even more painful for those of us (including myself) more attuned to mainstream fare than classical.

The good news is that Moon gets us rolling with the ultimate power trio in classical music: Swiss pianist Alfred Cortot, French violinist Jacques Thibaud and Spanish cellist Pablo Casals. All three were considered among the finest players of their era (particularly Casals, who was invited to play at the White House for multiple presidents and is believed by many to be the best ever at his instrument), plus the three were friends to begin with, frequently playing together for both fun and profit. Therefore it's arguable that this was the best potential group to play a piano trio from "the greatest composer who ever lived," in this case "The Archduke Trio."

This particular piece, also known as Piano Trio Op. 97, was composed in 1811 to honor Archduke Rudolph of Austria (whom Beethoven would dedicate some 14 works to, including the Missa Solemnis, which we'll look at later), and was the last piece Beethoven himself performed, due to his increasing hearing problems.

Although the album referenced by Moon features three recordings, including Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata" and "Magic Flute Variations," the "Archduke Trio" is the best bet because it is the only piece featuring all three musicians. "Magic Flute" is a wonderful dance between Cortot and Casals, but for my money, Thibaud's violin steals the spotlight from Cortot's piano during "Kreutzer," not by intention but simply by the nature of the two instruments.

"Archduke" not only features all three performers, but allows each to shine within his preferred instrument. Note that this doesn't mean each gets a turn for taking a solo; the "Archduke" doesn't work like that. Rather, Beethoven's composition combines parts for the instruments that, taken by themselves, don't seem to add up to a tightly wound piece. It takes highly-skilled instrumentalists, like the ones featured here, to pull it off and pull it together (Beethoven's own performance of the piece was reported as erratic due to his oncoming deafness, and the critical recognition of the piece suffered as a result). Casals, Cortot and Thibaud exercise excellent chemistry to make this recording come to life.

The downside is that these sessions were recorded during the '20s, and only so much remastering could be done. Don't let it distract you too much. This is an upbeat piece from Beethoven, and it's well worth a listen.

INTERESTING FACT: The "Kreutzer Sonata" was originally dedicated to violinist George Bridgetower, however Bridgetower offended Beethoven by slandering the character of a woman he was taken with. As a result, the composer rededicated it to Rodolphe Kreutzer, considered to be the best player of the time. Kreutzer never performed the piece however, calling the difficult violin part with it "outrageously unintelligible."

"Archduke Trio"