Beethoven: Sonata in B-flat Major, (Lortie, Kovacevich)

MVT I, Allegro con brio EXPOSITION 00:00 – Theme 1. Abrupt Motif A (hidden 3rd) opens the piece, rising into cantabile melody. 00:18 – Transition. Motif A in bass, rising into F. Bass descends, while upper two voices move sequentially into new idea at 00:26 in V of (V). 00:35 – Theme Group 2. Theme 1. 3rds. 00:49 – TG2. T2. New idea (Motif B). Groups of 3rds, descending in 3rds. At 1:14 the variation is broken off by 4 arpeggios, moving through (vi) to jubilant 4-bar closing phrase at 1:21. 01:33 – TG2. T3. Note connection to Motif A in middle voice. At 1:44, Motif C is introduced: rising scale, then its inversion. Motif A closes. DEVELOPMENT 03:48 – Dialogue on Motif A, then Motif C enters, leading to TG2 T3 on V of (vi) 04:09 – Motif C in bass, rising, with inversion in treble, answered by running figure based on Motif A. G min/C min/F min 04:26 – Motif A turns into arpeggios in RH, while bass descends chromatically (NB single bars on Gb and Fb) 04:48 – Arpeggios in RH, Motif C in LH. Ab maj/F min/Bb min. NB dissonance between D and Db at 4:56 etc. RECAPITULATION 05:27 – Theme 1 05:46 – Overlapping call-and-response on Motif A, which rises to Ab. The subsequent sequence is lengthened by 2 bars, and the transition theme after infused with minor colouring 06:09 – Theme Group 2 MVT II, Adagio con molto espressione EXPOSITION 07:31 – Theme 1. Motif A (semiquavers with appoggiatura, proceeding at intervals of a 3rd) at 7:37, Motif B at 7:57 08:55 – Transition 09:38 – Theme 2 10:35 – Cadential Theme DEVELOPMENT 11:03 – Dominant of C min. Motif A ascends, with exotic harmonies produced by long appoggiaturas 11:26 – Motif A and Motif B are fused in two-voice dialogue. Continues for 4 more bars 11:49 – Ab min is reached, and Motif B turns into a continuous contrapuntal passage, with the upper voice singing a lamenting figure. Ab min/Eb min/home dominant. RECAPITUATION 12:45 – Theme 1, with more decoration 13:52 – Transition 14:52 – Theme 2 15:46 – Cadential Theme MVT III, Menuetto 16:18 – Minuet, Strain 1. NB Motif A (from Mvt 2) in the semiquaver runs at 16:20, etc. 16:48 – Minuet, Strain 2 17:02 – Minuet, Strain 3. Similar to strain 1, with enriched bass and cadential elaboration at 17:18 18:09 – Trio. NB Motif A’s inversion in LH, and use of imitative counterpoint in second half. 19:05 – Minuet da capo MVT IV, Rondo: allegro 20:03 – THEME. Note Motifs 1 (semiquaver 1 from F to A) and 2 (the A-Bb-B-C rising quavers). At 20:10, Motif 2 in lowest voice 20:39 – Transition, featuring new Motif 3 as its opening. 20:48 – EPISODE 1. At 21:06, cadence-group in F, and at 21:24 dialogue on Motif 1 21:41 – THEME 22:18 – EPISODE 2. An extraordinary section, which both an Episode, and a Development, and a Sonatina all in one. Opens with Motif 3 in Bb min: the first two notes of the motif a developed immediately after. 22:28 – Developmental Theme 22:43 – Motif 3 in bass, answered by counterpoint (C*) above. Process repeated in Bb min and (iv), with Motif C in treble and C* in middle voice 22:58 – Sequential use of Motif 3 in bass, with inversion above, all with added 3rds. 23:10 – Developmental Theme 23:26 – Motif 1 2 in Gb, closing into Ab. Motif 2 then interrupted by appoggiatura in RH, turning into trill 23:45 – Theme in LH, ornamented in RH 24:21 – Transition, with 2 bars added 24:33 – EPISODE 1. At 25:02, shift to Eb. 25:08 – Sudden intrusion of Main Theme, after which Motif 1 2 in C min lead to 25:33 – THEME, in triplets and more extensive decoration. Almost imperceptibly a run leads from the last note into the 26:10 – CODA. Based on Motif 3 over descending bass. The piece closes with a canonic derivation of Motif 1