Patricia Kopatchinskaja
We do not apologize about our recording with Fazil Say (Naive V5146) which contains the repertoire of our first concerts together.
Our version of Beethovens Kreutzer Sonata raised some critical eyebrows in France and Switzerland (see >>Trashbin). But we based our approach on what one can find out about Beethovens intentions and the initial reception of the piece.
Beethovens original dedication to the first performer George Bridgetower (1779-1860) was: „Sonata mulattica Composta per il Mulatto Brischdauer, gran pazzo e compositore mulattico". Obviously this piece was expressly written for this exotic performer, which Beethoven qualified as „gran pazzo“ – meaning completely mad.
The first and the last movement are inscribed „presto“. It must be a rare occurence in classical music to have two of three movements in „presto“ and it must mean something.
The Beethoven-pupil Carl Cerny (*) wrote about the first movement: „For stamina, power and maintenance of the stormy, wildly agitated character this piece needs an accomplished virtuoso“. Of the last movement he writes: „As brilliant and fiery as the first movement but much more lively. All quavers staccato if not written otherwise“, the end having to be „noisy and prestissimo“.
A contemporary critic (**) wrote extensively about the piece in the Allgemeine Musikzeitung of 1805 using the terms „bizarre“ and „grotesque“, mentioning the „most astonishing excesses“ and qualifying the whole thing as „esthetic or artistic terrorism“. The word terrorism was then new in the German language. It came from the French "Terreur" during the revolution, when people were decapitated by thousands by Guillotine on the most flimsy accusations and in the name of the revolution and its high ideals. The critic therefore implied that Beethoven was carrying his worthy esthetic or artistic revolution way too far, getting lost in the most horrible excesses.
We took all this at face-value.This piece is written for a completely mad performer, „presto“ is not just an „allegro comodo“ but has to give the impression of fast speed. The first movement is not a static and well-mannered tea-time affair, but has to be stormy and wildly agitated throughout. The last movement as fiery and brilliant but even more lively, at the end noisy and prestissimo. The whole sonata has to be exotic, bizarre, grotesque, mad, with astonishing excesses, giving an impression of „esthetic and artistic terrorism“.
If some critics are shocked by our version we do not apologize. We maintain that this was exactly our - and what's more important - Beethovens intention and that this corresponds to the initial impression on the contemporary public.
Perhaps in the Ravel Sonata the use of a prepared piano in the Blues needs some explanation. Fazil - a Jazz pianist and Jazz composer in his own right - insists that the rhythm of this Blues has to be tired and somewhat resigned. We imagined a smoky delapidated bar somewhere in the USA, a few customers in the twilight, maybe some small criminal or some dubious ladies. And in the corner an old sleepy black musician playing at his antique piano, or was it a banjo? Originally we recorded the whole sonata without preparation. On the last morning which was reserved for some corrections I found Fazil in the studio, strange sounds coming from his piano. He had put some spoons and ashtrays on the strings, saying that the sound now was more like a banjo, or like a defective piano. We played the Blues like this and had such fun that we recorded it. Afterwards there were many discussions if such a preparation is admissible. But in the end we decided to take this version because it fits best to the images we found in this music. For those who disagree there are many normal versions on the market.
Bartoks Roumanian Dances are part of a conventional musical education and they are usually played in the well-educated and civilised way of the music-schools. But Bartok originally found this archaic music in Roumanian villages as performed by the indigenous people. I - Patricia - have grown up in such a village and therefore I think that I know how to translate Bartoks writing into the original archaic sound.
(*) Carl Cerny: Über den richtigen Vortrag der sämmtlichen Beethovenschen Klavierwerke, 1842, Nachdruck Universal-Edition, 1963, s. 76 ff.
(**) Ludwig van Beethoven: op. 47 Sonate für Klavier und Violine, Allgemeine Musikzeitung 1805, Sp. 769 bis 772 (zusammen mit op. 38 und op. 52), zitiert nach St.Kunze (Herausgeber): L.v.Beethoven - Die Werke im Spiegel seiner Zeit, Laaber-Verlag 1987 (>>original text).