Beethoven Triple Concerto (Karajan)

The Triple Concerto gotta be one of my least favorite works by Beethoven. To me it embodies everything that's superficial and empty about the key of C major (together with the 5th symphony finale). The piece is like one of those boisterous, ill-mannered and not too bright people you meet at a party and whom you can't get rid of - and who treats you to a long-winded pompous tale full of self-glorification.

That said, I had a chuckle when I first heard about this famous Richter/Karajan tale. Didn't know it was about the Triple Concerto, but if I remember correctly, Richter wanted to do another take of a certain passage which he was unsatisfied with, and Karajan replied, "Oh no, we don't have time for that, we still have to do the cover photos."

And still this recording ended up in EMI's GROC series. I wonder if they mentioned in the booklet notes that Richter disowned it? Madness.

Given my antipathy against the piece, I was surprised I could still dig up 3 performances on cd from my collection.
First, the already mentioned Arrau/Szeryng/Starker/Inbal recording. Fabous piano playing by Arrau, who has to be one of the greatest Beethoven performers of all time, certainly when it comes to his chamber music. (I recently re-listened to his wartime recording of the complete B. violin sonatas, with Szigeti - Arrau's noble, almost artistocratic Beethoven playing is absolutely breathtaking there, more so than in his later re-recording with Grumiaux.)

Then the Oistrach/Knushishevitzky/Oborin/Sargent recording on EMI. Both recordings are with the Philharmonia, but I prefer Arrau/Szeryng/Starker/Inbal.

But I can't say I listened much to these performances. Thing is that they both have the Brahms Double Concerto as a "filler", and that's a piece that I value much, MUCH higher. So Brahms got on repeat, and Beethoven was never to be heard again.

Third, a cd with Kalichtein, Laredo, Robinson and the English CO, Alexander Gibson. Was part of Brilliant Classics' complete Beethoven edition. Can't say it made much of an impression.

there are other versions of this marvellous work: Suk Trio (Josef Suk, Jan Panenka and Josef Chuchro) with the Czech Philharmonic Orch. conducted by Kurt Masur, in Supraphon label; Trio Zingara with the English Chamber Orch. conducted by Edward Heath, in IMP Classics, and more recently Jeno Jando, Dong Suk Kang and cellist Maria Kliegel in NAXOS, with conductor Bela Drahos, a bargain title but interesting version. Personally I dont like Claudio Arrau, Szeryng, Starker/Eliahu Inbal version, I ve found Arrau s participation deslucid, specially in 3th movt final "coda". oscar.olavarria

Dear Parla, I agree absolutely with you in your opinion!!, clap,clap, clap,clap oscar.olavarria

Well, 50m, I'm glad you admit that C major is not, by definition, a bland and shallow key. As for its "bad rep during the 19th century and many composers avoided like the plague", please kindly note, only in the Symphonic genre, the following Symphonies which all had written in C major:

Balakirev's No.1, Bargiel's op.30, Beethoven's No1 (a great work at any rate and by any standard), Berwald's No.3, Bizet's single Symphony, Draeseke's No.3 (Tragica), Dukas single Symphony, Fuchs' No.1, Lindblad's No.1, Prokofiev's No.4, Raff's No.2, Rimsky-Korsakov's No.3, Ropartz' No.4, Rubinstein's No.2 (Ocean), Schubert's Nos.6 & 9, Schumann's No.2, Sibelius' Nos.3 & 7, Stravinsky's, Spohr's No.7, Wagner's and the two Symphonies by Weber.

On the flip side, searching to compose something "deep", see how many Symphonies we have in A flat major: Elgar's First and one by...Vanhal! On E major: the superb Seventh by Bruckner along with Bruch's 3rd and Scriabin's First. Even in the Classic period only two out of 104 Symphonies by Haydn are in E major. Few String Quartets, two Piano Trios and a couple of his Piano Sonatas are in E major too. Haydn also composed one Piano Trio in A flat major. Another bit known works on A flat are the First Concerto for two Pianos by Mendelssohn and a more neglected Piano Concerto by Field. Probably, the most substantive work in A flat is the Mass no.5, D.678, by Schubert.

So, from the above, you may realize that the C major is a Major key, very significant and dear to composers, at least on and for different occasions. Masterpieces written in this key are plenty and very substantive. We should not forget for example the monumental String Quintet or the "Wanderer" Fantasy by Schubert, Beethoven's "Waldstein", Mozart's String Quartet "the Dissonances" and the superb Fantasie op.17 by Schumann.

Finally, do not neglect that the "simplest key due to its lack of sharps and flats", serves at the same time the relative minor, namely the a minor, too. So, is the a minor also the simplest, boring, flat etc tonality? We should not also overlook that, in most cases, the c minor works find their resolutions in a triumphant C major (not only Beethoven's Fifth).

Going back to the Triple Concerto, I mention the orchestration, not because it is colourful or inventive, but because it is highly effective. If you check the score or you can follow a live performance or even you may listen it in a state of the art recording (in a proper equipment), you'll see how wonderfully the orchestra works by supporting the three soloists, conversing with them or introducing and recapitulating the thematic material, in a very energetic and highly positive way. I can assure you the role of the Orchestra is absolutely meaningful and fully justified.

Parla

I see you keep scorning, in a way, the glorious C major.

Now we need a slow, "deep", emotional adagio. That's require some thorough research, but, at first glance, there is the First version (1887) of the slow movement of Bruckner's 8th (in c minor).

In order to have slow movements in C, you should have relevant or relative tonalities in the First Movement. In the Classical period, a great deal of the F and G major compositions have a C major for their slow movements (C is the dominant and the subdominant of F and G major respectively). Often C major was the choice for a slow movement in a minor or c minor had a C major slow movement (relative and tonic major respectively).

Finally, from a research with some friends/musicians/experts, we tend to agree that the two most significant keys in all Classical tonal music is the E flat from the major ones and the d minor from the minor ones. These two come a bit more often in frequency than the very important c minor and the jubillant D major.

Parla

Oscar, Sapper is not wrong; there are two versions with the Beaux Arts Trio, the first with Haitink, the second is the one you know with Masur. Like you though, one of my favourites is the recording by Pierre Fournier, Geza Anda and Wolfgang Schneiderhan, with the RIAS Orchestra conducted by Ferenc Fricsay.

Chris