Beethoven: Sonata No.8 in C Minor, Op.13, "Pathétique" (Feltsman, Lortie, Korstick)

The Pathétique was famous right from the moment it was performed, and it’s not hard to see why – it contains three incredibly attractive movements with very different characters + unheard-of expressiveness, and contains some of B.’s best motivic manipulations. The first + last movements are unified through a single theme (heard, among many other places, at the opening of the first movement, the second theme of the first movement, and the opening of the third), and both are also internally tightly bound together by a set of their own recurring motifs – there’s hardly a bar of material that’s superfluous or untethered. The first movement also features strangely orchestral textures – there’s the thrumming tremolos, the bassoon in the first theme of the second theme group (3:45), and the tutti that is the second theme of the second theme group (4:26). It’d also be remiss not to mention that the second movement is, well, extremely pretty.

MVT I, Grave
INTRODUDCTION
00:00 – The introduction of a C-D-Eb (tonic, supertonic, minor mediant) motif (M1). Immediately developed until Eb is reached
00:42 – M1 is developed yet further, now in lyrical form
EXPOSITION
01:45 – Theme Group 1, Theme 1
02:03 – Theme Group 1, Theme 2, containing new M2 over rising bass
02:15 – Theme Group 2, Theme 1, based on M1 (Eb/F/Gb = C/D/Eb). In Eb min, when maj is expected. PAC to Eb, then
02:47 – Theme Group 2, Theme 2
03:06 – Cadential Theme. At 3:12 TG1 T1 appears, apparently closing in Eb but for the descending bass, which guides it to the home dominant
DEVELOPMENT
05:04 – Return of the introduction, in G min, with a magical modulation at end to E min
05:44 – M2, immediately followed by a sped-up version of the introduction’s theme (M1), with the LH derived from TG2, T1
05:53 – M2 rising in bass, while RH tremolos descend chromatically
06:07 – the dominant is reached, and a wonderful passage implying double chromatic appoggiaturas takes over (C#-D, C-B) before M.2 races up the keyboard again and closes with a turn. The procedure is repeated, before a scalar passage enters at 6:23 and leads back to the
RECAPITULATION
06:29 – TG1. At 06:38 the passage is diverted through Db, Eb min, and then F min. The musical tissue from the exposition which should follow immediately after has been cut out
06:49 – TG2, T1. F min/C min/Ab/C min. Theme 2 and the Cadential Theme remain in C min
CODA
07:53 – Return of the introduction. M.1 in dominant, tonic, and then subdominant
08:29 – Return of TG1, T1, before final cadence

MVT II, Adagio cantabile
08:49 – THEME
09:46 – EPISODE 1. Extended cadence-phrase at 10:11
10:33 – THEME
11:02 – EPISODE 2
11:53 – THEME, with triplet accompaniment
12:57 – CODA

MVT III, Rondo: allegro
13:36 – THEME, containing M.1 at its head
13:58 – EPISODE 1, with a second lyrical theme at 14:07, a third in triplets at 14:17
14:55 – THEME
15:17 – EPISODE 2. 2-part counterpoint in contrary motion. At 15:41 beautiful quaver scalar accompaniment enters, and at 15:50 the dominant is reached
16:09 – THEME
16:27 – EPISODE 1, now entering directly with its second theme in C maj. At 16:59 the cadential phrase is extended to modulate back into C min, pausing eventually on the rootless dominant 7th
17:16 – THEME
17:31 – CODA. A cadential phrase enters with subdominant colour, using the triplet figuration from Episode 1. At 17:38 this is gradually expanded, until at 17:44 a new semiquaver figure emerges. The LH is flattened, leading into the dominant of Ab. The downward run at 17:53 which immediately follows reveals that the new semiquaver figure is in fact derived from the descending scale at 14:50 (and similar). At 17:59 the theme enters in Ab, truncated and stated twice. The music moves quickly back into C min, and a final descending scale closes

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