Beethoven’s dark, expressionistic, tragic sonata. A huge psychodrama with wild outbursts of fear and lamentation. A Greek tragedy. An individual, violently rebelling against his fate. Sonata no 23 in F minor, opus 57, is the world famous Appassionata. Though most experts agree that it should be called the ‘tragic sonata’. Sir András Schiff calls it one of the great monuments of western music, not just of piano music, and can’t stop being amazed about the greatness of the sonata. It is the expression of a passionate soul, a warrior in the dark, an increasingly deaf composer fighting fate, ending in catastrophe. Any room for hope or redemption -the second theme in the first movement? The third variation in the second movement?- is brutally destroyed. The concept is brilliant: two gigantic movements in F minor and in between a D-flat major theme and variations. This may be what makes Appassionata so genius: Beethoven retains ultimate control and reins in the dramatic riotousness through purity of construction.

The first movement, Allegro assai – Più Allegro, starts pianissimo. The music starts with the first note, there is no introduction. The two voices of the unison beginning have a distance of two octaves between them. An ominous sign. As if something terrible is about to happen. Then, to make things worse, in bar 10 the four-tone motif, that sounds a lot like the fate motif of the fifth symphony, comes from far away. Soon after that we have a first explosion, immediately followed by a real explosion of violence. The syncopated way in which Beethoven writes the 12/8^th beat makes the explosion sound out of control, but it isn’t. Even when after the explosions the music calms down for a while, throughout the entire first movement there’s the steady 12/8^th beat that unifies the contrasts of harmony and mode and helps to keep the different elements together. But to combine the contrasts with the steady beat is also what makes the movement so difficult to play. The theme that follows seems to be new, but appears to be almost an inversion in the parallel major key. The exposition ends with a molto legato passage and another explosion of violence. The development has a new theme and is characterized by constant modulation, huge sonority and tremendous energy. The movement ends with a deconstruction down to the fate motif. An apocalyptic scene.

The theme of the second movement, Andante con moto – attaca, is simple and solemn. three variations and a coda. An oasis of serenity between two war zones. It starts with a deep, dark sonority that foreshadows the transcendental music of the last three sonatas. Ever smaller note values in the three variations that follow go hand in hand with a gradual change from darkness into light. In the coda Beethoven uses fragments of the theme in different registers. Very beautiful and maybe even peaceful. But just when you think peace and resignation to fate has finally come, danger returns with two arpeggio chords that sound like trumpets of the last judgment. It is the beginning of the last movement.

There is no break between the second and the third movement, Allegro ma non troppo – Presto. In the final movement Beethoven goes on a rampage. It is one long cry of despair and rebellion. Or, as Beethoven expert Tovey put it: “The tragic passion is rushing deathwards.” The continuous 16^th notes create the idea of ‘perpetuum mobile’ and underneath we hear a sighing motif. Beethoven creates interesting proportions by not repeating the exposition -highly unusual at the time- but instead repeating development and recapitulation. The sonority is brilliant and intense, the tension unbearable. The finale is actually a new theme, that reminds András Schiff of a Hungarian czardas. A ‘czardas macabre’. This uncompromising work leaves no room for catharsis.

Annediek en Pim van der Velden-van Oort