Music Chamber

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Arabesque Op 18

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Sonata No 22 in F Major Op 54

In tempo d'un menuetto: ~ Allegretto

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) 2 pieces from 'Années de pèlerinage: Deuxième année: Italie', Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa

Sonetto 47 del Petrarca

Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No 13 in E flat  Op 27/1 "Quasi una fantasia"

Andante ~ Allegro molto e vivace ~ Adagio con espressione ~ Allegro vivace

 

Simon Watterton was born in Wirral, in North West England. He studied at the Purcell School of Music with Patsy Toh, and at the Royal College of Music with Yonty Solomon. At the RCM he won a number of prizes, including the Marmaduke Barton Piano Prize, and the annual Beethoven Competition. In his final year he won the Hopkinson Silver Medal at the Chappell Medal Competition, where he was also awarded the Esther Fisher Prize for best undergraduate performance. In his final recital he achieved the highest piano mark in his year, for his performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Simon is a regular recitalist at venues across the UK. Past appearances include performances at Wigmore Hall, St. John's Smith Square, St. Martin's In-the-Fields and Kettle's Yard, amongst others. In 2005 he won the piano prize at the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition. In May 2006, as result of further competitive success at the Marlow Music Festival, he performed Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, K488, at Cadogan Hall, with Southbank Sinfonia. He was recently featured as a Rising Star in the International Piano Quarterely magazine, and in 2009 completed an eight concert cycle of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in London. In April 2010 Simon was awarded the British Music Prize at the inaugural Sussex International Piano Competition.

 

Beethoven’s  Sonata in F Major op 54 was written in 1804. It is certainly one of the lesser know of the sonatas, and is sandwiched between two of the composer’s greatest works, the ‘Waldstein’ op 53 and the ‘Appassionata’ op 57. However, the op.54 sonata inhabits a world of its own, and its hidden poetry and experimental style reward further listening. The first movement, In Tempo d’un Menuetto, has only two phrases, which come back several times, each time more varied yet with the harmony essentially the same. Separating this is an exaggerated outburst in octaves, which again displays the economy of means which characterise this work. No notes go to waste to create the frequently sparse texture. A brief coda closes the movement gently, before the Allegretto finale. This moto perpetuo,with its quirky accents which contrast with the flowing initial motif, is a new departure in the composer’s output. Despite, or perhaps because of the rhythmic consistency, there is no element of drive, no feeling that the music is heading anywhere in particular. Dynamic contrasts are sudden, and Beethoven leads us through a bewildering range of keys. The second part of the movement, much longer than the brief first section, is repeated, which gives balance to the sudden acceleration of the final page. The movement close the only way it can, abruptly but with joyful finality.  The Sonata in E Flat op 27/1 is the companion work to the ‘Moonlight’ sonata. The piece is subtitled ‘Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia’, as indeed is the op.27 no.2 mentioned above. Beethoven can be heard to be trying out new ways of presenting a sonata. Although the work has four movements, they are tied together without a break. The simple opening motif serves as a kind of extended introduction to a glittering Allegro, which is abruptly halted by the return of the opening material. A restless Scherzo and Trio contains interesting unison sonorities and syncopated rhythms, which in turn leads us to a dark and sonorous Adagio. This in turns leads to the finale, an Allegro vivace full of harmonic invention and playful piano writing. A brief interruption by the theme of the slow movement, this time in the home key of E Flat, leads us into a Presto finale, where the syncopated rhythms return to lead us jubilantly to the conclusion of this unusual and highly original work.