Beethoven: Sonata No.5 in C Minor, Op.10 No.1 (Jumppanen, Jando, Korstick)

This is one of B.’s most approachable sonatas – it’s not that difficult to play (unless you are absolutely determined to take the last movement at tempo), and comes close to matching the Pathetique for dramatic power (rhetorical silences, material presented in unison, dynamic contrasts). Like the other Op.10 sonatas, the first movement’s development section is largely built around new material. The second movement one of B.’s prettiest slow movements, built around an ABAB “sonatina” form, and the last movement is (again, common to all the Op.10 sonatas) especially enjoyable. It’s a surprising blend of fizzy nervousness and humour: you’ve got that cavalier, almost-bathetic ending, the accented landings on wrong harmonies in the second theme, frenetic tremolos, big dynamic swings, and a pretty menacing main theme – all presented at breakneck speed.

MVT I, Allegro molto e con brio
EXPOSITION
00:00 – Theme 1
00:26 – Transition Theme
00:47 – Theme 2. Its closing quotes the opening of Theme 1
01:13 – Cadential Theme
DEVELOPMENT
02:49 – Theme 1 in C = V of (iv)
03:00 – Development Theme. Containing motif (x) – C/B/Db/C/Bb/G – at 3:02.
03:14 – Sequential development of (x), which drifts into the LH.
03:31 – Dominant preparation
RECAPITULATION
03:38 – Theme 1
04:00 – Transition Theme, starting on extremely remote key of Gb.
04:20 – Theme 2, in F. At 4:30 extra bars wrench it into C min
04:59 – Cadential Theme

MVT II, Adagio molto
EXPOSITION
05:15 – Theme 1
06:18 – Transition
06:46 – Theme 2
RECAPITULATION
08:22 – Theme 1, with new ornamentation
09:23 – Transition, which moves into 6/4 of Fb, necessitating extra bars to return to home dominant
10:01 – Theme 2
11:26 – Coda. Theme 1 with gentle accompaniment, with tender new 4-bar clause. Then alternation between tonic/dominant, closing on 5 bars of tonic

MVT III, Finale: Prestissimo
EXPOSITION
13:04 – Theme 1, opening with M1
13:25 – Theme 2. At 13:38 cadential theme enters with M1 in LH
DEVELOPMENT
14:54 – M1, closely developed. Arrives at V of (iv), then eventually the home dominant diminished 7th
RECAPITULATION
15:08 – T1
15:30 – T2, in C. At 15:41 it suddenly moves into minor, which it never leaves again. The cadential theme at 15:43 now enters without tremolos, with M1 in RH.
CODA
16:02 – The closing cadence-figure moves into Db, where T2 is presented in the form of a slow melody. Pause on the local dominant
16:24 – Diminished 7th, turning into C min (this passage is heavily reminiscent of the Tempest)
16:34 – T2 + T1 combined in final passage with subdominant color. At its close the sonata simply evaporates.

Видео Beethoven: Sonata No.5 in C Minor, Op.10 No.1 (Jumppanen, Jando, Korstick) канала Ashish Xiangyi Kumar