Music Educators Association of New Jersey

 

MEA Presents
Stephan Möller
from Vienna

Beethoven Between Classicism and Romanticism

September 19, 2024 at Elefante Music and via Zoom

Following President Danette Whelan’s opening remarks and announcements, Programs Chair Sophia Agranovich introduced Stephan Möller, international pianist, conductor, lecturer, and master teacher. A graduate of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Stephan Möller was a prizewinner in the 1985 International Beethoven Competition in Vienna. Among his achievements are his numerous performances of all 32 Beethoven sonatas in one concentrated series. In 2020, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, he presented Beethoven 32X32, a project to perform this 32 sonata series in 32 venues around the world.

An expert on the piano sonatas and piano concerti of Beethoven, Mr. Möller enthusiastically presented information, commentary and wonderful performances of excerpts. These musical examples were drawn from Beethoven’s piano works, chamber music and orchestral reductions, and from music of other composers.

Beethoven was aware of history and the changes in society: a controlling nobility class eventually yielding to a growing middle class. Mr. Möller described the tensions of the times, mentioning Napoleon Bonaparte, whom Beethoven admired until he realized Napoleon’s regal ambitions. He cited Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which incorporates Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” as being “music with a message.” During this period, congregating with a political agenda was risky, but people could congregate for the arts. The arts flourished.

Stephan Möller argued that in the Baroque period, the concept of the fugue was that it is a piece in which one idea controls the work. Two contrasting themes generate the sonata movement of the Classical period. Here, the cadence, and tonic and dominant functions are of greatest importance. There was “clarity and rationalism” in which you could predict a phrase or cadence. Mr. Möller played excerpts from the Mozart Piano Trio in C Major, the Beethoven Piano Sonata Op. 10 No. 1, and the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto, to illustrate his points.

He then described the changes that became evident in Beethoven’s music around 1802, when he wrote to his brother of his despair in going deaf and declared his determination to persevere as a composer. His defiant attitude was, “Never give up.” The document is known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. Beethoven’s composing would continue to depart from the constraints of classicism.

From a classical approach featuring the idealistic, the static, and polarization of good and bad, music became more individualized, with more personal expression, less clearly defined harmonies and patterns, and less predictable development. While the symphony and sonata were still being composed, smaller pieces became popular. Beethoven “invented” the bagatelles. In the Romantic period, “Schubert had his Moments Musicaux.” He and others composed dances, impromptus, or music of other genres of smaller works, often in collections. Beethoven hastened this trend by writing movements of theme and variations.

In the Classical period, the themes were complete melodies, but non- conformist Beethoven might postpone introducing a melody, as in the Waldstein Sonata Op. 53. The listener waits for many measures for the repeated chord pattern in the opening bars to end. Finally, a melody “sings” the second theme. Stephan played it. Then he reminded us that Beethoven reduces material and then builds on it so that “the first movement of the Fifth Symphony is actually based on two notes!” He convincingly demonstrated how each movement of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony has stepwise melodic elements of the “Ode to Joy” found in full in the last movement.

Beethoven’s sonata movements have other unmistakable elements of “modernity.” The first movement of Sonata (“Moonlight”) Op. 27 No. 2 (Adagio sostenuto) is like a nocturne. Other sonatas do not begin on the tonic or dominant, so the listener is in harmonic limbo until the tonic is finally established. Stefan played the opening passages of the last movement of the Waldstein to illustrate Beethoven’s inventiveness and pianistic freedom while using the most basic keyboard elements.

Another innovative step was Beethoven’s use of descriptive titles to some of his movements. We were reminded of the Sixth (“Pastoral”) Symphony in which a storm is orchestrated and symphonic birds are tweeting. Stephan also played excerpts and offered comments relating to Sonatas Op. 106 and Op. 111.

One could only marvel at the information and music encompassed in this presentation. Remarkably, performance of an excerpt usually followed the mention of a composition.

A Q and A period followed. Regarding preferred editions, Vienna Urtext and Henle topped the list. The emphasis was placed on using editions that had original interpretive markings. Those MEA members who attended will certainly approach Beethoven works with increased understanding and appreciation., thanks to Stephan Möller.

Hospitality Co-chair Rebecca Eng set a buffet of cookies, cake, cheese and crackers and Danette Whelan, filling in for Scholarships Co-chair Charlene Step, set up a music-for-donation table.

Bertha Mandel, writer Lisa Gonzalez, photos and layout

MEA Committee and Board Members with Stephan Möller