Last Sunday, in Kulas Recital Hall, Oberlin Conservatory faculty Marilyn McDonald and David Breitman presented the first program in a series of concerts featuring Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano. This program included three works: Sonata in A major, Op. 30 No. 3; Sonata in A minor, Op. 23; and Sonata in A major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer.”
Both McDonald and Breitman performed on vintage instruments. McDonald played a 1665 violin by maker Jacob Stainer.
“Playing the Beethoven sonatas on these instruments allows for a different type of clarity than one gets with steel strings and a modern piano…It’s not that one is better than the other; it’s merely a different perspective,” McDonald said.
Breitman’s instrument for this concert was a 1975 reproduction by Philip Belt of a piano “now attributed to Dulcken, and dated 1795, although it has an (old) label in it identifying it as a Steinway,” Breitman plans to use several different historic instruments during the Beethoven series: “I will definitely need a later instrument to play Op. 96, the last of the 10 sonatas,” Breitman said, adding that, “Beethoven encountered pianos that were as individual as violins. So, since we have the resources, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have as much variety as possible.”
The performers played to a near standing-room-only crowd. It was a treat to hear Beethoven performed well and on original instruments. Breitman’s technical agility made some of the movements sparkle, and McDonald’s tone was absolutely appropriate to the character of the pieces. The ensemble was excellent, especially in the unison section in the second movement of the Sonata in A Major, Op. 30, No. 3.
“The slow movement of [Sonata in A Major] Op.30, No. 3 that we played was my teacher, Josef Gingold’s, favorite, and I always think fondly of him when I perform that work,” McDonald said.
Also of note was the performance of the “Kreutzer” sonata. This is one of the best-known Beethoven sonatas and was performed admirably Sunday night. The frequent tempo and dynamic changes were clean and served to emphasize the light-dark dichotomy often found Beethoven’s works. The second movement had a particularly charming section with violin pizzicato punctuating the piano melody. The piece closed with a very solid Presto which avoided the temptation to rely solely on speed to infuse the piece with character.
Breitman and McDonald plan to perform the remaining seven Beethoven sonatas; though a date has not yet been fixed, they anticipate that the next program will be early in the fall 2003 semester.