My weekly feature. Today, I tried to bring you the great slow movement from the maybe not-so-great Triple Concerto, with Barenboim conducting and Yo-Yo Ma in a tremendous performance. But it's now been removed. So here he is doing the entire piece, with Isaac Stern and Manny Ax, no less.
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I suppose the major problem with LvB's "Triple Concerto" is the fact that it's for three instruments. Each player has to get his or her time in the spotlight and that can result in a bit of repetitveness. The composer of a concerto following the procedures of sonata form ("sonata form" doesn't just apply to sonataa; a concerto is a sonata for a solo instrument usually with orchestra; a symphony is a sonata for orchestra) would score introductory material first to the orchestra (a procedure violated by Mozart in his Piano Concerto #9 and LvB in his Piano Concerto #5), after which the SOLOIST would largely repeat the theme o themes before going to the development phase. With three instruments, each takes a turn after the introduction before the work can proceed. The opus number 56 is interesting; Beethoven often followed some of his collossal masterpieces with more bumptious and jaunty pieces (the Eighth Symphony for example) and opus 55 was the epic "Eroica" Symphony. My recollection is that the Boston Symphony Orchestra has rarely played the piece during the winter season but has put it on programs at Tanglewood and featured a visiting pianist along with the principal violinist and cellist from the orchestra, as if to say: winter: REAL Beethoven; summer: the LIGHTER Beethoven.
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