LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

(1770 – 1827)

Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20

I. Adagio – Allegro con brio

II. Adagio cantabile

III. Tempo di menuetto

IV. Tema con variazoni: Andante

V. Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace

VI. Andante con moto alla marcia – Presto

Beethoven’s one-off Septet is an “occasional” piece of some historical importance, being one of the last works he wrote before he became aware of the onset of his profound hearing loss. Of course, since he did not yet experience the imminent sense of doom which would lead him to the Heiligenstadt testament, the Septet is a light-hearted work in the late-Classical style, resembling a Mozartean divertimento more than anything else.

Despite its colourful forces of a string quartet augmented by clarinet, bassoon, and horn, the work is ultimately conservative, and despite that, it was immediately popular and remained so during his lifetime, often eclipsing his more serious music. Even though he dedicated it to the Empress Maria Theresa, he would actually come to hate it, even wishing later in his life that he had destroyed the score. Before such regrets, though, he had already rearranged the music as a trio for clarinet, cello, and piano, and dedicated that arrangement to a friend of his.

The music is as graceful and elegant as anything that could have been written in 1799, at a time when every composer who wanted to make a name was writing serenades and divertissements for the European aristocracy. Beethoven’s is a class apart, however, and his skill in assigning dialogues to the various instruments results in a genuinely interesting piece. In particular, the slow movement has a soaring duet between violin and clarinet, and later, when the bassoon takes over the melodic argument, the other instruments leave little comments around it. The minuet and trio that follows is chirpy and pastoral, and the 4th movement is a set of variations on a Rhenish folk tune (“Ach Schiffer, lieber Schiffer” — “Ah captain, dear captain”), showing Beethoven in full country manner.

Hunting calls from the horn and subtle chromaticisms in the harmony make the Scherzo more restless, and indeed the music sounds almost symphonic, with the first violin playing high up before the cello solo takes over in the trio. The dark march that ushers listeners into the final movement is the only truly dramatic music (and much more familiar to regular Beethoven listeners), though the rest of the movement is basically a Haydn symphonic finale. Here, youthful charm shines through, and the mubsic has incredible spring in its step, with the first violin showing off like a soloist!

Programme notes by Thomas Ang