Music Department

National Gallery of Art

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The Sixty-third Season of

The William Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot Belin

Concerts

National Gallery of Art

2,507th Concert

Andreas Haefliger, pianist

October 31, 2004

Sunday Evening, 6:30 pm

West Building, West Garden Court

Admission free
For the convenience of concertgoers

the Garden Cafe remains open until 6:oo pm.

The use of cameras or recording equipment during the

performance is not allowed. Please be sure that cell phones,

pagers, and other electronic devices are turned off.

Please note that concerts now begin at 6:30 pm.

Late entry or reentry after 6:30 pm is not permitted.

2,507th Concert

October 31, 2004, 6:30 pm

Sonatas for Piano Solo by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 1

Molto allegro e con brio 

Adagio molto

Finale: Prestissimo

Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Op. 26

Andante con variazioni

Scherzo: Allegro molto

Marcia funebre sulla morte d’un eroe

Allegro

Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81 a (“Les adieux”)

Adagio; allegro 

Andante espressivo

Vivacissimamente

Intermission

Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101

Allegretto ma non troppo

Vivace alia Marcia

Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto; presto
The Musician

Andreas Haefliger has received the highest praise throughout the world for 

performances that possess a rare combination of power, elegance, and

poetry. A musical thinker whose interpretations spring from a rich cultural

heritage, he is a consummate musician and one ofthe leading pianists of

his generation. Haefliger’s busy 2004-2005 season began at the Hollywood 

Bowl, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Ilan Volkov, and continues

with concerto engagements in London at the bbc Promenade Concerts, at 

the Aspen Music Festival, and in Copenhagen, with the Royal Danish

Philharmonic led by Thomas Dausgaard. In addition to the concert at the

National Gallery, he will present all-Beethoven sonata recitals in the El Paso

Pro Musica and the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, New York.

Andreas Haefliger has appeared with Danish baritone Bo Skovhus, the

Takacs String Quartet, and the symphony orchestras of Boston, Washington,

Vienna, London, Liverpool, Hamburg, and Rotterdam. An active collaborative pianist and chamber musician, Haefliger played the world premiere of

Michael Colgrass’ Crossworlds with his wife, flutist Maria Piccinini, and the

Boston Symphony. At London’s Wigmore Hall, he hosted his own series,

in which he collaborated as a chamber musician with outstanding instrumental guests as well as in lieder recitals with Matthias Goeme. In addition

to his other musical partnerships, he has appeared with his father, the eminent tenor Ernst Haefliger, for performances of Schubert’s Winterreise at 

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and in several European cities.

A native of Switzerland, Andreas Haefliger grew up in a musical

household. After completing his studies at the Juilliard School, where he

was twice awarded the Gina Bachauer Memorial Scholarship, he made

his London recital debut at Wigmore Hall in 1993 and his London Proms

debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1994. He played his New York

recital debut at the 92nd Street Y in 1988 and his Carnegie Hall debut

during the 1998-1999 season.

Haefliger’s growing discography includes works by Schumann, Schubert,

Mozart, and Sofia Gubaidulina for Sony Classical; Schubert lieder with

Matthias Goeme; and Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet as well as Dvorak’s Piano

Quintet with the Takacs Quartet for London/Decca. Andreas Haefliger appears

at the National Gallery by arrangement with Colbert Artists Management,

Inc., of New York City.

Program Notes

Written sometime between 1795 and 1797 and published in 1798, Beethoven’s

Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1, along with its companions, Nos. 2 and 3,

was dedicated to the Countess Anna Margarete von Browne, at whose house

Beethoven was a welcome visitor. This sonata belongs to the works composed

during the first of Beethoven’s three compositional periods, known as the

Viennese Period. Its three movements in classical sonata-allegro form are relatively short but solid. The first movement (Allegro molto e con brio) opens with

a broken ascending C minor chord as part ofthe tempestuous first theme.

This is followed by contrasting, balmy secondary themes. The passionate

outburst ofthe opening movement, according to the preeminent English 

writer on music Eric Blom (1888-1959), “was a considerable advance in

[Beethoven’s] personal expressiveness.” The themes are heard in several different keys with subtle changes before the exposition ends in E-flat major. A

more elaborate exploration ofthe themes is found in the development section, 

which begins in the key of F minor but recalls none ofthe keys used in the

exposition. The home key ofC minor is announced with the entry ofthe recapitulation in the dominant, which concludes the first movement without the

implementation of a coda. The second movement (Molto adagio), like the first

3
movement, is enclosed in sonata form and contains two seductive tunes that

are undeniably Beethoven. The first theme is in the key ofA-flat and the 

second in E-flat major (the obligatory tonic/dominant sequence). No development section is included here; instead, the two themes are transformed

through the medium of variation, and the movement concludes with

a coda. In keeping with the layout ofthe previous movements, the finale

(Prestissimo) also makes use ofthe sonata-allegro form. Beethoven includes 

both a development section and a coda in this exciting, rapid movement, 

which, according to the renowned German-born Swiss pianist Wilhelm

Backhaus (1884-1969), “produces a compact piece of boisterous humor

with some surprising touches of comic characterization in buffo style.”

Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Op. 26, is an anomaly among Beethoven’s

works. It is his only piano sonata that has a designated “funeral march”

within its movements and uses a set of variations as the opening movement. The work is dedicated to Prince Carl von Lichnowsky. Organically,

the sonata appears to be disjointed. It is, as writer Samuel Chotzinoff

states, “structurally loose, like a package of assorted good things not overtly

related... .A sonata, like a novel, can conceivably accommodate the most

disparate elements.” The four seemingly unrelated movements could have

been collectively called a “suite,” but Beethoven chose not to do so. The first 

movement (Andante con Variazioni) opens with a simple yet elegant theme,

followed by an inimitable set of rhythmic variations. The second movement

(Scherzo: Allegro molto) is charismatic and represents a marked contrast

to the shifting rhythmic patterns ofthe preceding movement, with an interruption of a genteel intermediary section. The third movement (Marcia

funebre sulla morte d’un eroe [A Funeral March on the Death ofa Hero]) was

described by the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung as “great, somber, and 

splendid.. .because here all difficulties and artistry serve the expressive purpose ofthe music, and are therefore essential.” The fourth movement

4

(Allegro) is a perpetuum mobile that Chotzinoff calls “a mystical delight.”

Beethoven purportedly modeled it after the Three Piano Sonatas, Op. 23, of

Johann Baptist Cramer (1771-1858).

Beethoven’s distinguished pupil, Archduke Rudolph ofAustria, was

identified by the noted German pianist Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838) as

Beethoven’s “first and, in all respects, most important patron.” The archduke is the dedicatee of Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a (Les adieux),

and Beethoven’s personal subtitle for the work was Les adieux, I’absence et

le retour (Farewell, Absence, and Return). A three-note motive introduces

the opening movement (Adagio; allegro) and appears throughout. The three

notes are said to be a musical setting ofthe German Lebewohl (farewell).

The second movement (Andante espressivo) is a personal epic rhapsody of

lamentation. The finale (Vivacissimamente), entering without a break, ushers

in an exuberant joyfulness that is indicative ofthe relieffelt upon the return

from a long absence. The emotional range ofthis sonata presages the programmatic music that marks the romantic period, and it is through works

like this sonata that Beethoven became its progenitor. “This is program

music in the clearest sense, and all the better for it” (Charles Burr).

Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101, is the first of Beethoven’s five great last

sonatas. It was written in 1816 and published the following year with a dedication to Baroness Dorothea Ertmann. This sonata may best be described as

a Sonata-fantasia, particularly in light ofthe instructions Beethoven provides

in the score: “with deeply felt emotion,” “like a lively march,” “yearning,”

and “with determination,” which call upon the pianist to exercise considerable imagination. Beethoven goes beyond the restrictions ofsonata form to

produce a highly contrapuntal work that never surrenders its lyric elements. 

He enters into a new world of expression that encompasses both the majesty

ofthe symphonic ideal and the intimacy of chamber music.
PROGRAM NOTES: ANDREAS HAEFLIGER 2004-2005 SEASON PROGRAM I

Forging a Personal Language of Intimacy and Fervor

Beethoven's personal language was forged from extremes. The musical style that he had inherited from Haydn

and Mozart already comprised a surprising mixture of elements. Beethoven simply sharpened the contrasts

and dramatized the conflict, often in a highly experimental manner. Throughout his creative development, he 

never lost his exploration of extremes, pursuing it with an intimacy and fervor that pushed the boundaries of

expression. If one were to compare the early sonatas Op. 10, No. 1, composed in the mid-1790s and Op. 26 of

1800 with the middle-period sonata "Les Adieux" of 1809 and the Op. 101 sonata, written on the brink of his

late style, they all share the same personal language despite the stylistic changes; these are all compositions in

extremis, shot with sudden contrasts, disruptive gestures and experimental structures. In the opening

movement of Op. 10, No. 1, for example, the contrasting themes are brought into such sharp relief that it only

takes a single note for the aggressive gestures of the initial material to melt magically into one of Beethoven's 

most tender second themes. By the later sonatas, not even a note is required to facilitate such transitions. In

the finale of Op. 101, for instance, Beethoven changes gear in the development section just before the fugue

with an abrupt harmonic shift from A major to C major. Or take the alteration of textures in the initial

movement of Op. 81a where the bustling music suddenly slams into single long notes.

This kind ofjuxtaposition often produces an ironic jolt that prevents the listener from being absorbed into the 

illusion of the self-contained artwork. In this way Beethoven always makes his personality present, pointing

to his string-pulling behind the scenes. Sometimes these disruptive extremes have a critical function; the 

courtly etiquette of the slow movement of Op. 10, No. 1, for example, is rudely awakened by disruptive

flourishes that deliberately tarnish the aristocratic polish. Sometimes these gestures are more programmatic;

in the sonata Les Adieux" the opening horn call, which accompanies the word "Le-be-wohl" (Farewell) is

constantly disrupted and distorted as if to prolong the act of leave-taking by thwarting the horn call's sense of 

harmonic closure. (In fact, the horn call does not find its resolution until the very end of the movement where it

evokes the sound of post horns echoing in the distance as the horses trot away.)

Such expressive extremes can also occur between movements. The piano sonata Op. 26 opens innocently

enough with a convivial set of variations full of the kind of lyrical charm that would befh the intimate

expression of the home. After all, piano sonatas in the late eighteenth century were intimate affairs — music

for the amateur musician to master or the connoisseur to admire in the privacy of their living rooms. By the 

third movement however the scene has changed. We are in the open air. The political upheavals initiated by

the French Revolution of 1789 brought a certain "Napoleonic fervor" — to use Beethoven's own words — to the 

music, moving it beyond the private sphere of the living room to the open spaces of the public. The movement

portrays the French ritual of the revolution -- the heroic funeral. Entitled "Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un

Eroe (funeral march on the death of a hero) the march cancels the melodious promise of the opening

movement with the chiming monotone of the hero's death toll.

The extraordinary inclusion of a funeral march in Op. 26 testifies to the experimental nature of the work. It 

was written at a time when Beethoven was rethinking his language both in formal and expressive terms. In

fact, this work, along with the following two sonatas of Op. 27 forgoes the defining form of the sonata --

"sonata form" -- in search of something more "fantastic" or as Beethoven himself puts it in the titles of the Op.

27 sonatas, quasi una fantasia The fantasy" in Op. 26 parallels that of Op. 101, which was also composed

during a time of stylistic change. The two sonatas are bound by similar abnormalities: both explore different

weightings within a four movement plan; both jettisoning the energy of a standard sonata form first movement

for something more whimsical; both contain marches and both finales bristle with counterpoint. Of course, 

over the course of the 16 years between the two sonatas, Beethoven's personal language had evolved. The

opening movement of Op. 101, despite sharing the same sentiments of Op. 26, is more ambiguous both in

harmonic and rhythmic terms in order to blur the formal outlines. The march no longer has the "Napoleonic

fervor" of the earlier sonata; indeed, with the congress of Vienna and the defeat of Napoleon, the march of 

Op. 101 is emotionally distanced, as if such militaristic exploits were now passe; there is no heroic veneration

here, the language is objective, abstract, even playful. As for the contrapuntal writing in the finale, it is now

more ambitious and virtuosic than the "two-part invention" of Op. 26, particularly with the fugue in the

development section. All these elements — the harmonic ambiguities, the abstraction, fugal counterpoint —

point towards the late style. And yet for all their lateness, the seeds of such a personal utterance were already

evident in Beethoven's exploration of extremes in his early sonatas.

Notes by Daniel K. L. Chua
ANDREAS HAEFLIGER'S PERSPECTIVES ON BEETHOVEN

Perspectives presents an ambitious expansion of what might be thought a more conventional

Beethoven piano sonata "cycle." In a series of twelve piano recitals that bring other solo piano

works together with Beethoven's thirty-two sonatas, Perspectives features not only the sonatas

themselves but explores the affinities between Beethoven's compositional expression and the

music of others who came before and after.

The idea of the Perspectives approach came about as a natural extension of Andreas Haefliger's

artistic journey through the sonatas as a performer and my own coinciding interest in

Beethoven's music as a point of arrival and departure. The journey has inspired both personal

programmatic ideas about Beethoven's works and an ever renewed appreciation of their pure

musical expression.

The piano was Beethoven's instrument of choice when it came to establishing his unique

personal language. Twenty of the sonatas date from his "early period," the first ten years of his

life as a composer when he was seeking a mode of self-expression and working to define his

compositional voice. The later sonatas, written in the last intensely creative years of his life,

represent a marked departure from Beethoven's previous style. These are works informed by his

preoccupation with his inner emotional conscience; they are also harbingers of the future.

In that the Beethoven sonatas were not meant to be performed in chronological order or in any

other abstract cycle, it seems proper to present them here over a span of six years -- comparing,

contrasting, informing and framing them, flashing forward and back - with other works whose

affinities with the sonatas are made more clear by the sheer existence of Beethoven's music.

Thus the twelve recitals are arranged in sets of two. one pair each season, of which the first is

devoted entirely to Beethoven, the second to a combining of Beethoven with the works of other

composers. We will look at Beethoven's music through the perspective of Mozart, Bartok,

Brahms, Janacek, Schoenberg and Ligeti in carefully wrought chapters.

Each seasonal pair also centers on a programmatic theme which provides the attending threads --

some thick, some thin -- that give a coherence to the entire project. These six themes, listed

below, serve to bring into focus the commonality of artistic ideas, thoughts, events and leaps of

imagination, uniting the music we will hear:

2004-05: Forging a Personal Language of Intimacy and Fervor

. 2005-06: The Spirit of Mozart

20.06-07: Fueling the Romantic Imagination

2007-08: New Sonorities, New Directions

2008-09: Rite of Passage

2009-10: Intimations of the Future

Join the odyssey. One way or another we will be the better for it.

Asadour Santourian

Artistic and Creative Consultant