Program

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) – Four Impromptus, Op. 90

No. 1 in C minor: Allegro molto moderato

No. 2 in E-flat major: Allegro

No. 3 in G-flat major: Andante

No. 4 in A-flat major: Allegretto

Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) – Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 2

I. Allegro non troppo, ma energico

II. Andante con espressione

III. Scherzo: Allegro — Poco più moderato

IV. Finale: Sostenuto — Allegro non troppo e rubato — Molto sostenuto

Notes  

Franz Schubert – Four Impromptus, Op. 90

Franz Schubert’s set of four impromptus, Op. 90, is one of the most important piano works in the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era. Written in 1827, roughly a year before his death, this work shows Schubert at the height of his compositional powers. Like many sets of miniatures from this time, all four impromptus come together to form a cohesive whole. The progression of their keys makes logical sense, and the four form a large-scale emotional narrative.

Constantly at play in this set is Schubert’s iterative compositional style – he will often present short idea and then repeat it numerous times, each slightly differently. This slow, methodical development is evident from the very first phrase of the first piece, which begins with a soft, haunting march that appears in the distance. Over time, this march goes in and out of the picture, sometimes coming to the forefront and sometimes transforming into a beautiful, sung melody. The second impromptu opens in a much lighter manner than the first, with a shimmering, pearl-like melody in the right hand over a slower bass. This theme forms the backbone of the piece, but it is interrupted by a tragic, insistent B section, which seemingly tries to take over the music. The third impromptu is one of Schubert’s most famous pieces, featuring a long lines and song-like texture. The pianist’s challenge in this piece revolves around managing this texture – they must create a gorgeous vocal line in the top of the right hand while accompanying that line with the bottom of the right hand and the left-hand bass. The final impromptu is built from a fluttering, descending figure, which grows in intensity before giving way to a song-like middle section. This section again sees the pianist juggle both a vocal line and accompaniment, just as in the third impromptu. Eventually, the song fades out as the opening material reenters, ultimately closing both the piece and the entire set.

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Johannes Brahms – Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 2

Johannes Brahms’s Sonata No. 2, composed in 1853, is often overlooked in favor of the composer’s other two sonatas – it’s not as Beethovenian and organized as the first, nor as bombastic and Romantic as the third. Despite this lack of a clear identity, however, this youthful work is a truly wonderful piece that foreshadows much of Brahms’s musical evolution. We hear numerous hallmarks of the classical period, like the clean-cut phrasing, which harken back to Brahms’s intense admiration for Beethoven; however, we also see a vision of Brahms’s symphonies-to-come, with a gigantic sound that’s at home in the Romantic era.

The first movement opens with a turbulent orchestral fanfare, which sets the tone for the dramatic nature of the entire piece. Soon enough, however, the bottom drops out, and after a long build-up, a lyrical, violin-like theme appears. The opening theme and this singing theme form the backbone of the rest of the movement; the lyrical melody repeatedly tries to make itself known, but it is always eventually thwarted by a return of the opening motive. The opening motive ultimately wins out, and a loud climax seems to signify the movement’s end; however, a hushed final two chords follow, serving as the true conclusion.

The second movement is a set of variations on a sorrowful theme, which is often supplemented by echoes. In Brahms’s original score, an old German love poem (“Mir ist leide” – “It makes me sad”) was inscribed below the theme, and although it was removed before the sonata’s publication, it is evidence of the growing “cross-contamination” between literature and music at the time. Composers were becoming more well-rounded individuals and looking to incorporate more types of art into their music, and despite this piece’s general conservatism, Brahms was very much a part of this trend.

The third movement, a challenging scherzo, also uses the second movement’s theme, although it is now transformed into something much more frenetic. A swinging trio follows the opening section, and while it may seem unrelated, its theme is actually built from the rhythm of the original theme. A raging, extremely-difficult elaboration of the original theme follows, closing out the third movement with much of the bombast of the first movement.

The fourth movement is the piece’s most substantial and features repeated alternations between pianistic and orchestral textures. The introduction opens with a declamatory theme and features improvisatory-like writing. The following section, also improvisatory in nature, transforms this motive into a repeated, emotional sigh, which goes on to serve as the main thematic material of the movement. Slowly, the music builds, eventually switching over to a thick, orchestral texture before dropping down and building up again. The rest of the movement follows in a very similar manner – one hears frequent alternation between thin and thick writing as the music repeatedly and slowly builds to huge climaxes. Ultimately, the music grows to a fever pitch in an orchestral climax before a peaceful section seemingly ends the sonata. Whereas the opening movement ended with an addendum of two hushed chords, this calm conclusion is capped by two bold, confident chords to close the piece.