Ravinia_2018_Issue_7_Week

known today as the “Heiligenstadt Testament”—

an unmailed letter to his brothers written during

his stay in the village of Heiligenstadt in

—

and to have eeting thoughts of ending his own

life. His spirit was liberated by this secret disclo-

sure, and Beethoven’s general outlook began to

improve as he took refuge in his work: “It was

only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed

to me impossible to leave the world until I had

brought forth all that I felt was within me.” e

months following his return from Heiligenstadt

brought a steady ow of compositions, includ-

ing the Symphony No. (“Eroica”), Piano So-

nata No. (“Waldstein”), Violin Sonata No.

(“Kreutzer”), and the oratorio

Christus am Oel-

berge

(

Christ on the Mount of Olives

is vigorous creative activity slowed con-

siderably at the end of

and beginning of

. Work on

Leonore

(later renamed

Fidelio

Beethoven’s rst operatic composition for the

eater an der Wien, demanded total concen-

tration. His attention was further divided by

growing a ection for the recently widowed Jose-

phine von Brunsvik. Several writers have com-

mented on the theme of faithful love common

to both the opera and Beethoven’s relationship

with Josephine.

ese weighty matters allowed

little time for other compositions.

FEDERICO COLLI,

piano

Italian pianist Federico Colli announced his

arrival on the world stage with winning perfor-

mances at the Salzburg Mozart Competition in

and the Leeds International Piano Compe-

tition in

. During his studies at the Milan

Conservatory, Imola International Piano Acade-

my, and Salzburg Mozarteum, he was mentored

by such luminaries as Sergio Marengoni, Kon-

stantin Bogino, Boris Petrushansky, and Pavel

Gililov. e same year that he won the Salzburg

competition, Colli was awarded a Grosso d’Ar-

gento by the mayor of his hometown of Brescia.

He was subsequently named among the top

pianists under by

International Piano

mag-

azine in

, the same year that he made his

debut on the International Piano Series at Lon-

don’s Southbank Centre and released his debut

solo CD, a collection of works by Beethoven,

Scriabin, and Mussorgsky on the Champs Hill

label. Colli has since begun to record exclusive-

ly with Chandos; his rst disc on the label was

released in May this year, featuring sonatas by

Domenico Scarlatti, and a new album of Bach

works, including Busoni arrangements, has

been planned. On the concert stage, his recent

highlights have included debuts at London’s

Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; further concerto

performances with the Janáček Philharmonic,

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi,

and Lodz Philharmonic; and recitals at the Lu-

cerne Piano Festival, Turner Sims Southampton,

Lakeside Arts Centre Nottingham, and Fazioli

Concert Hall. Colli has also bowed with the Ma-

riinsky Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Philharmon-

ic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI

National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish

National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philhar-

monic, Hallé Orchestra, Philharmonia Orches-

tra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and Camerata

Salzburg, as well as at Vienna’s Musikverein and

Konzerthaus, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Munich’s

Herkulessaal, Bonn’s Beethovenhalle, Amster-

dam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Barbican Cen-

tre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Paris’s Salle Cortot,

and Tokyo’s Nikkei Hall, among many other

venues. Federico Colli is making his US debut

tonight at Ravinia.

e Piano Sonata No. in F minor was one of

the few pieces created during the period when

Beethoven’s relationship with Josephine was at

its strongest—the years

and

e Vi-

enna Bureau des Arts et d’Industrie published

this sonata in

with a dedication to Count

Franz von Brunsvik, Josephine’s brother. Its

emotional turbulence, dynamic intensity, and

expressive harmonies may mirror Beethoven’s

inner passions, but the composer did not him-

self attach the nickname “Appassionata” to this

work.

e title rst appeared in the

four-

hand version by the Hamburg publisher Cranz.

For many years, this sonata was among the com-

poser’s personal favorites.

e “Appassionata” opens with a tempestuous

movement whose expression transcends the

boundaries of sonata form. Its rst theme pres-

ents a quiet, haunting F-minor arpeggio in /

time. underous chords shatter the initial calm

and are followed by a tranquil and expressive

second theme.

Andante con moto

o ers a

set of variations based on a simple and stately

theme. All three variations that follow retain the

basic structure of the theme, but with increas-

ingly complex embellishment.

is movement

proceeds without interruption into the nale

by way of

fortissimo

chords. A quiet rst theme

enters a er several measures of introduction,

rising and falling in gentle waves of sound. e

second theme combines rapid imitation with ac-

cented chords. A

presto

coda propels this sonata

to an exhilarating conclusion.

Todd E. Sullivan

Ludwig van Beethoven by Joseph Willibrord Mähler

(1815)

Josephine von Brunsvik

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