Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Fifteen Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme in E flat major, Op 35 ‘Eroica’
[25:33]
Twelve Variations on the ‘Menuett à la Viganò’ from
Jakob Haibel’s Le nozze disturbate, WoO 68 [13:26]
Twelve Variations on the Russian Dance from Paul Wranitzky’s Ballet
Waldmädchen, WoO 71 [11:10]
Ten Variations on ‘La stessa, la stessissima’ from Antonio Salieri’s
Falstaff [9:44]
Eight Variations on ‘Tändeln und Scherzen’ from Franz Xaver
Süssmayr’s Soliman II [8:14]
Six Variations in D major, Op 76 [6:13]
Ian Yungwook Yoo (piano)
rec. 25-26 July 2008, Glenn Gould Studio, CBC, Toronto, Canada
NAXOS 8.572160 [74:18]
The cover presents a striking image: the conquering hero, immortalized in
stone, looks out over a sea of fire. He stands alone against the flames, boldly
unconcerned. It is a wonderful image of Beethoven the warrior, the master
of musical struggles.
The contents of this CD come from a very different side of Beethoven. This
recital showcases Beethoven’s witty side, his penchant for virtuosic
invention, and his growth as a creative mind. These are six sets of themes
and variations, only two of them published. The other four are early works
which reveal the genesis of ideas and techniques which would later become
the composer’s mainstays. Any lover of Beethoven ought to hear this.
Pianist Ian Yungwook Yoo, who is qualified for the job by his first-prize
triumph at the 2007 Beethoven Competition in Bonn, tackles the legendary ‘Eroica’
variations first. He is clearly an advocate of ‘big,’ old-fashioned
pianism, and the powerfully sustained opening chord establishes this immediately.
But he also sets free his inhibitions, indulges Beethoven’s violent
dynamic changes (3:27-3:43), lets the left hand interrupt lyrical moments
such as that at 7:00, and matches Beethoven’s playfulness smile-for-smile
in variations like the one beginning at 5:21. This is supreme musical mischievousness!
The bulk of the CD is concerned with unpublished variations on themes by other
composers. None of these writers are remembered with anything like the fondness
we have for Beethoven, and (as with the Diabelli Variations) we can safely
say that Beethoven’s achievements with these variations exceed the originals
in every case. Salieri’s opera Falstaff has been recorded several
times, including performances on Chandos and Hungaroton and even a DVD, but
none of the “originals” to the other works here have been recorded.
Indeed the catalogues at Arkivmusic and MDT have no listings at all for CDs
of music by Jakob Haibel.
The primary interest of these works is as a fascinating catalog of Beethoven’s
early treatment of the variation format. Theme-and-variations was arguably
the central form of the composer’s career: consider the mighty variation
movements in the Third, Fifth, and Ninth symphonies, the piano sonatas opp.
109 and 111, and the monumental Diabelli set. If you are at all fond of those
works, you should listen to the early Beethoven variations, for they really
do provide great insights into his evolving language and his way of creating
something stupendous out of nothing.
I say “nothing” because one of the insights on offer here is that
Beethoven consciously chose bare, bland, maybe even poor themes for his variations.
The Diabelli waltz theme is, in that sense, perfect for Beethoven’s
purpose: if you set it alongside Wranitzky’s dull Russian Dance, or
Haibel’s genial but forgettable minuet, or (dare I say it) the Eroica
tune, you see that they really are all cut from the same cloth; the rhythmic
similarity between Diabelli’s theme and Salieri’s is truly striking.
The themes are canvases on which Beethoven paints; in fact they are rather
cheap canvases from the supermarket chosen in order to demonstrate all the
more clearly that the credit belongs solely to the painter.
Typical of this style is the Haibel set: immediately, with the first variation,
Beethoven leaps into a wholly different mood and style. Not for him the classical-era
plan of simply ornamenting the tune with little decorations, then having the
left and right hands switch, then altering the melody by one or two notes.
Beethoven leaps in at the deep end. Already we can hear his adventurousness
and his conception of variations as transformative. This structure will be
taken to more profound heights in works like the last piano sonata but even
in the 1790s Beethoven was writing “theme and transformations”.
The first variation of the Wranitzky set is more conventional, but in exactly
five minutes the theme is rendered completely unrecognizable and the work
becomes wholly Beethoven’s. And there are vintage Beethoven moments
all through these early works, like his habit - to be highlighted in the piano
and orchestral Eroica variations - of leaving melodies hanging confidently
in midair halfway through, pausing, and then rolling in with the resolutions.
The luminous Wranitzky variation at about 3:35 presages some of Beethoven’s
transcendent writing in the last sonatas; the fact that Beethoven cannot even
wait until Salieri’s theme is over before beginning to toy with it brought
a smile to my face. The Salieri set, although a bit monotonous, does introduce
the classically Beethovenian idea of bringing back the original theme at the
end, subtly transformed. The ‘Turkish march’ variations Op 76
make a delightful encore.
The only real competitors in this quiet corner of the Beethoven repertoire
are Alfred Brendel on Brilliant Classics, John Ogdon on EMI, Ronald Brautigam
on Globe, and Gianluca Cascioli on DG, though the last two are quite hard
to find and indeed the latter is out of print. Florian Uhlig on Hänssler
has recently recorded the Wranitzky set. The unpublished variations are probably
not interesting enough to merit duplicating if you already have one of those
recordings, although I should point out that Brendel omits the Haibel and
none of them can match the Naxos sound quality.
There are many Eroica variations out there, and everyone will have a favorite
(Gilels looms large), but Ian Yungwook Yoo really does bring everything to
this performance: showmanship, drama, great wit, playfulness, sensitivity
(8:59-10:02, 15:11-17:20), and superb technique. He is recorded in finer sound
than any competitor, although you will want to turn the volume up. He is less
sober than Bernard Roberts on Nimbus, more ‘grand’ and romantic
than Jenö Jandó, and a full three minutes slower than Brendel,
to Yoo’s advantage; Brendel treats the humorous and merely virtuosic
variations with one fleet-fingered, undifferentiated style.
For Beethoven lovers and aficionados his early variations are essential listening
and have greatly aided me in my listening to his late masterworks in the genre.
If you are a casual fan, you may find this music to be of less obvious interest,
since so much of it is light, witty, and clever, rather than fiery as the
cover might imply. It is not ‘vintage Beethoven’ by any means.
But hints of ‘vintage Beethoven’ are to be heard in every work,
and that is why real devotees of the composer will find this volume fascinating.
Brian Reinhart
The birth of Beethoven, before our ears.