François-Frédéric Guy, Beethoven's Piano Sonata Cycle at Musashino Shimin Bunka Kaikan Recital Hall

Over the course of three weekends, from November 23rd to December 7th, François-Frédéric Guy performed the 32 piano sonatas written by Ludwig van Beethoven. The cycle was performed almost in the exact order throughout nine concerts, two on Saturday and one on Sunday each week. It was an exhilarating journey that reflected, not only on the genius of creation at its peak, but also on the fascinating historical evolution from the Classic era to the Romantic one.

By the last decade of the Eighteenth Century the piano replaced the harpsichord as the preferred keyboard instrument among composers and performers. Beethoven started composing his cycle in 1795 and those three concerts on the first weekend showcased the first period of his piano sonatas. Still indebted to Haydn, his teacher, but at the same time announcing an imminent revolution. I enjoyed these early pieces a lot. It was the beginning of the nine concerts set, which it’s always exhilarating. These pieces also reminded us that  Beethoven was more than just the tormented soul represented in the romanticized famous portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler. Mr Guy’s interpretation, balancing the lightness and frugality with the dramatic elements served its purpose and marked the start of this fascinating journey. 

That first weekend ended with a superb rendition of the Sonata No. 8, Pathétique  despite someone who thought that the start of the second movement was the best time to slowly open a plastic bag. On the second one we got many other landmarks. The Moonlight sonata, No. 14, the Waldstein, No. 21, and a couple of my favorites, Tempest and The Hunt, No. 17 and No. 18, which were performed back to back on Saturday night. These were all from the fruitful period of the first decade of the Nineteenth Century, in which he wrote the 3rd and 5th symphonies. The Classical period starts to transition into the Romantic period. The concept of Sturm und Drang becomes more present. Covering the whole spectrum, Mr Guy transitioned as well from the nimble touch of the first period to the middle period’s energetic one. One of the things I enjoyed the most about witnessing the whole cycle in order was that stylistic changes were rendered seamlessly, with Mr. Guy’s guidance it felt more like a natural smooth progression.

The climax to me were the late period sonatas, specifically the last three. The performance on that weekend’s Saturday night sent shivers down my spine. Mr Guy’s intensity and control through his gestures and occasional vocal accompaniments, were up to the task of translating the emotional complexities of these pieces. Jan Swafford, in his excellent biography Beethoven Anguish & Triumph, talks about how the middle period Beethoven believed in the heroic figure and the need of his leadership and enlightenment for revolution. Napoleon was the embodiment of heroism at the time, therefore the recipient of Symphony No. 3’s dedication. His betrayal shifted Beethoven’s focus to humanity in general, Symphony No. 9 and the Missa Solemnis being the utmost examples. At a smaller scale -in terms of size- his late piano sonatas also speak to that effect.

By 1820 Beethoven was completely deaf and suffering from many other ailments, dealing with the custody of his teenager nephew Karl and deeply in debt. He’s been dealt a bad hand when it came to relationships and experienced many heartbreaks. And yet he strove for the creation of a body of work that will not only represent beauty, but it will represent life. That he did. From the energetic opening to the last lingering notes, the last of Beethoven’s sonatas sounds like the musical representation of humanity battling adversity. It is not an epic battle. It is the everyman and everywoman daily struggle. Written almost two hundred years ago it resonates stronger than most music to contemporary ears, because it tells us about what’s in the essence of humanity, the believe that there’s hope. 

This was one of many other moving performances throughout these three weekends that conveyed Beethoven’s vision of humanity encompassing joy, despair, love and ultimately hope. We were lucky enough to witness an interpreter of these works like François-Frédéric Guy  who knows exactly how to emphasize each of the relevant aspects from the aforementioned in order to enrich the experience of this particular journey. He played the 32 sonatas by memory and at the end he saluted the audience during the last round of applause holding the two volumes with the scores. As a final encore he played an emotional rendition of the famous bagatelle Für Elise, the perfect cap for this this three-weekend compendium of Beethoven’s music. I already miss going to the Musashino Hall on Saturdays and Sundays. It was a truly wonderful experience.  
  
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