Release Date: 12 January 1999
Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 730099479523
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: BEETHOVEN
Description
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)Piano Pieces Volume 1Ludwig vanBeethoven was born in Bonnin 1770. His father was still employed as a singer in the chapel of theArchbishop-Elector of Cologne,of which his grandfather, after whom he was named, had served as Kapellmeister. The family was not ahappy one, with his mother always ready to reproach Beethoven's father with hisown inadequacies, his drunkenness and gambling, with the example of the old Kapellmeister held up as a standard ofcompetence that he was unable to match. In due course Beethoven followed familyexample and entered the service of the court, as organist, harpsichordist andstring-player and his potential was such that he was sent by the Archbishop to Vienna for lessons with Mozart, only to be recalled to Bonn by the illness ofhis mother. At her death he assumed responsibility for the family, the care ofhis two younger brothers, with whose subsequent lives he interfered and themanagement of whatever resources came to his father from the court.In 1792Beethoven returned to Vienna.He had met Haydn in Bonnand was now sent to take lessons from him. He was an impatient pupil and laterclaimed to have learned nothing from Haydn. He profited, however, from lessonswith Albrechtsberger in counterpoint and with Salieri in Italian word-settingand the introductions he brought with him from Bonn ensured a favourable reception fromleading members of the nobility. His patrons, over the years, acted towards himwith extraordinary forbearance and generosity, tolerating his increasingeccentricities. These were accentuated by the onset of deafness at the turn ofthe century and the necessity of abandoning his career as a virtuoso pianist infavour of a concentration on composition.During thefollowing 25 years Beethoven developed his powers as a composer. His earlycompositions had reflected the influences of the age, but in the new century hebegan to enlarge the inherent possibilities of classical forms. In his ninesymphonies he created works of such size and intensity as to present a serious challengeto composers of later generations. Much the same might be said of his pianosonatas, in which he took advantage of the new technical possibilities of the instrument,which was now undergoing a number of changes. An increasing characteristic ofhis writing was to be heard in his use of counterpoint, an element that somecontemporaries rejected as 'learned', and in notable innovations, some ofwhich, in contemporary terms, went beyond mere eccentricity.SociallyBeethoven was isolated by his deafness. There were problems in the care of hisnephew Karl, after the death of the boy's father, bringing litigation with thelatter's mother. His loudly voiced political indiscretions were tolerated bythe authorities in the repressive years that followed Waterloo and he continued to enjoy thesupport of friends, including his pupil Archduke Rudolph. In Vienna, in fact, he became an institution, atthe passing of which, in 1827, there was g
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Lully
Zhou:Battersby
Zhou:Battersby
