The Con spirito series concluded on Friday, October 23, with a performance by pianist Pilar Guarné, who presented a recital entitled "Polyhedral Classicism." The program featured three composers who were in Vienna between 1781 and 1782.
The composer Marianne von Martinez (Vienna,
1744-1812), of Spanish (grandfather) and Italian (father) descent, achieved
great acclaim in her time despite professional limitations imposed by her
gender. Her surviving compositions include oratorios, cantatas, masses, arias,
motets, sonatas, keyboard concertos, and a symphony.
The Sonata in E major for keyboard dates
from approximately 1763 and was most likely written for the harpsichord or the Tangentenflügel.
It is important to note that Andreas Stein's pianos, which would later become
known as the Viennese piano mechanism, were still in the experimental stage.
Mozart himself did not encounter Stein's pianos until 1777. Despite the
influence of Haydn, Marianne's first keyboard teacher, the sonata displays a
distinctly Italian style. There are moments when it seems as if we are listening
to Scarlatti. Marianna's tutelage was in the hands of the poet Metastasio, a
close friend of the family, and in Vienna, much to Mozart's chagrin, the
Italians largely dominated the market. Mozart, twelve years her junior, was
part of Marianna's musical circle and recognized her musical talent, even
playing four-hands with her.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote the Fantasia
in D minor, K. 397, in 1782, a period when he had already played Stein's
pianos and owned an Anton Walter. The sound of this work is distinctly
pianistic, free, as is typical of a fantasia, and narrative in nature. The key
of D minor in Mozart is usually associated with emotional intensity, drama, and
sorrow (Requiem, Don Giovanni, Piano Concerto No. 20...). But this
fantasy opens the door to optimism by ending in D major. The manuscript was
lost, and the work remained unfinished; the final bars were written by August
Eberhard Müller (1767-1817), a composer who contributed to the spread of
Viennese Classicism, and therefore we don't really know how Mozart envisioned
it. The brevity of the ending suggests that it would have been longer. It is a
work highly appreciated by pianists and audiences alike.
In the third position on the program, Pilar
Guarné presents a bold and interesting proposal. She brings together three German
dances by Mozart and three Monferrinas by Clementi in an alternating
and continuous dialogue, linked by brief transitions written by herself that
seamlessly connect them. The result is a work full of discursive logic,
engaging and joyful, which drew sincere applause from the audience. The German
Dances and the Monferrinas come respectively from the folk dances of
southern Germany (Bavaria) and northern Italy (Monferrato) and are a clear
example of compositions intended for leisure, but also proof of the folk roots
of classical music.
In the second part of the concert, Guarné offered
us two late sonatas by Mozart and Clementi, works of considerable size that
bring together the most significant characteristics of each composer.
The Sonata in B-flat major, K. 570, from
1789, is the penultimate of Mozart's solo piano sonatas and an example of his
idiomatic and refined writing. The opening Allegro is in the form of a
classical sonata, with clean writing that alternates delicate melodic dialogues
between both hands with homophonic moments reminiscent of operatic writing. The
second movement is a reflective Adagio in rondo form, with inspired
melodies, register changes, and an overall harmonic structure (E-flat major, C
minor, A-flat major) that presents a varied yet tranquil landscape. Pilar
Guarné's interpretation of this movement was particularly inspired. The
sonata concludes with a Haydnesque Allegretto rondo, featuring some
strikingly chromatic passages.
Clementi's Op. 50 Sonatas close his
official catalogue, although they are not the last works he wrote. They were
possibly already planned as a second book of the Op. 40 Sonatas of 1804
and offered to the publisher Härtel in 1809. The metronome markings, dated
after 1815, suggest that Clementi continued working on them between that year
and 1821, when they were published simultaneously in Paris, Leipzig, and
Vienna.
The first movement of the second sonata is an Allegro
non troppo ma con energia characterized by passion and elegance. The
movement is full of expressive markings, unexpected modulations, and brilliant
passages of great pianism. Here, Pilar Guarné let loose and provoked a
spontaneous burst of applause from an audience that is usually very reserved,
waiting for the end of the pieces. The second movement, Adagio con espressione, is a beautiful melody of introspective character and subtle polyphonic accompaniment that the pianist recited with delicacy and inspiration. The polyphonic music, which the pianist recited with subtlety
and inspiration, was a striking feature. The final movement, Allegro con
Fuoco, ma non troppo Presto, is a sonata form remarkable for its continuous
treatment of the theme motif through a range of modulations, expectant
silences, and contrasting passages, all within an extensive, agile, and
brilliant development. The grand passion and sonata form recall the
extravagance of Beethoven's Appassionata, where nothing seems to be in
the place one would expect in a classical sonata. We are faced with an original
work, rooted in the Beethovenian style and a precursor to Romanticism.
Pilar Guarné's music and interpretation captivated the
audience, who responded with enthusiastic applause. Guarné followed with
a delightful Schubert Waltz.
Note: Pilar Guarné studied
at the Barcelona Municipal Conservatory when this center was of higher degree,
under the chair of the pianist Carme Vilà, from whom she inherited a solid
technique and a great knowledge of the Viennese style.
Joan Josep Gutiérrez
LISTEN TO THE FULL RECITAL https://www.youtube.com/live/s9Z0DPESaiw?si=5SC3-61wpmCDQnAk&t=535
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