Musical frolics, 1800’s Style
One resource to dispel the gloom that may descend upon us during such perilous times is music, particularly of the bright and sprightly kind. Those unacquainted with the whole body of Beethoven’s work may not know how much fun a lot of it is. There follow here three examples of Beethoven at his most lighthearted.
I. This is one I introduced in an earlier post, but it bears repeating, particularly because you cannot watch the pianist (Valentina Lisitsa) without feeling tempted to bounce around yourself. From the piano sonata Opus 10 Number 3:
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II. In contrast to the first example above from early in Beethoven’s career, this next is a movement belonging to the great string quartet Number 14 in C-sharp Minor, composed when Beethoven was already deaf and had but a year to live. Much of this piece has tragic undercurrents, but this is five sparkling minutes punctuated with musical jokes. Watch from 25:05 to 30:13 for the fun part. Warning: if you opt to watch from the beginning you are in for a magical mystery tour.
(The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.)
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