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Despite its nonchalant opening, the sonata’s initial Allegro is a dramatic, closely wrought movement that evolves virtually all its ideas from the main theme. The far-reaching development culminates in a tense modulating passage on a four-note ‘drum’ rhythm, with extreme contrasts of register. Remarkable, too, is the expansive coda, musing first on the gentle cadential theme and then on a lyrical ‘transitional’ idea that had immediately followed the opening. The minuet finale, a free rondo with two episodes (the second in E flat minor), relaxes the tension after two such highly charged movements—though it is surely no coincidence that its first episode recalls the opening movement’s cadential theme.
from notes by Richard Wigmore © 2009
Magré son début nonchalant, l’Allegro initial est un mouvement remarquable, finement ciselé, qui tire presque toutes ses idées du thème principal. Le développement de haut vol culmine dans un passage modulant tendu sur un rythme «tambourinant» de quatre notes, avec d’extrêmes contrastes de registre. Tout aussi remarquable est l’expansive coda, qui révâsse d’abord au doux thème cadentiel puis à une idée «transitionnelle» lyrique placée juste après l’ouverture. Le finale de menuet, un rondo libre doté de deux épisodes (le second est en mi bémol mineur) relâche la tension après deux mouvements tellement chargés—encore que son premier épisode rappelle, sûrement à dessein, le thème cadentiel du mouvement inaugural.
extrait des notes rédigées par Richard Wigmore © 2009
Français: Hypérion
Trotz seines nonchalanten Anfangs ist das einleitende Allegro ein dramatischer, dicht geschmiedeter Satz, der praktisch all seine Ideen aus dem Hauptthema entwickelt. Die weit schweifende Durchführung kulminiert in einer angespannten Modulationspassage über einem viernotigen „Pauken“-Rhythmus mit extremen Registerkontrasten. Auch die ausgedehnte Coda, die zunächst über das sanft kadenzierende Thema, dann eine lyrische „Überleitungs“-Idee nachsinnt, die unmittelbar auf den Anfang folgte, ist bemerkenswert. Das Menuett-Finale in freier Rondoform mit zwei Episoden (die zweite in es-Moll) lässt nach zwei solch geladenen Sätzen die Spannung nach—obwohl es sicherlich kein Zufall ist, dass die erste Episode an das Kadenzthema des ersten Satzes erinnert.
aus dem Begleittext von Richard Wigmore © 2009
Deutsch: Renate Wendel
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