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MUSIC

Breaking Concerto Tradition With Ludwig

BY TERI TOWE

Rare are the classical music
buffs who have not heard
Ludwig von Beethoven's Violin
Concerto in D Major, Opus
61 but rarer still are those who
have heard of, much less heard,
the piano concerto version
that Beethoven made at the
instigation of Muzio Clementi,
a friend and fellow piano
virtuoso who owned a
publishing house in London.

At first, Beethoven's
adaptation seems to be nothing
more than a simple
transcription. The orchestral
parts are basically unchanged;
the violin part is given to the
pianist's right hand; and there
is some relatively simple
"filling out" given to the
pianist's left hand. This
deceptive initial impression
probably explains why this
concerto has been neglected for
much over the last century and
a half.

Yet, there is definitely more
to the D Major Concerto than
meets the eye. First of all,
there is the first movement
cadenza. Beethoven broke with
tradition by providing fully
written out cadenzas instead of
allowing the soloist to
improvise his own. Even more
astonishing is the fact that
there is an independent part
for kettledrums in the first
movement cadenza, thus
picking up the kettledrum
motif that Beethoven uses to
open the concerto.

These written out cadenzas
apparently are the first of their
kind. Beethoven subsequently
wrote the cadenzas into the
"Emperor" Concerto at the
time of composition and
composed cadenzas for his four
other piano concertos.

The second important
difference in the piano version
of the D Major Concerto is
Beethoven's reworking of the
transition between the second
and third movements. There
are a number of subtle changes
and variants that give this
passage a new cast, one that is
arguably better than that of
the original version for violin.

Until recently, there have
been only two recordings of
the Beethoven D Major Piano
Concerto. Both, although quite
satisfactory, were relatively
uninspiring, however; and the
new recording by Peter Serkin,
Seiji Ozawa, and the New
Philharmonic Orchestra. (RCA
Victor LSC 3152), can be
welcomed with open arms.

Peter Serkin has the same
innate musicianship and
splendid technique that his
father. Rudolf, has, and,
unlike the others who have
recorded the D Major
Concerto, he has approached
the work on its own merits,
not as a transcription. To him,
it is Beethoven's Piano
Concerto No. 6, just as well
made, just as inspiring, just as
worthy as the canonical fire.
And why not? After all, the
Violin Concerto has been
considered one of the greatest
of all concertos for over a
century and a half.

Serkin's playing is both
sensitive and colorful, and he
receives capable and sympathetic
support from Seiji Ozawa and
the New Philharmonic. Their
choice of tempo for the
opening movement seems slow
at first for an allegro non
troppo, but the correctness and
sensitivity of their decision
grows on the listener with
repeated auditions.

This recording is a success
on all counts, and all who were
associated with it are deserving
of congratulations. I predict
that this disk will play an
important part in the
movement to give the D Major
Concerto its rightful place in
the concert pianists' repertoire.
Welcome to the Beethoven-
-Piano Concerto "No. 6"!