Schubert Sonata in B Flat, D. 960 (Part 2)

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

Joshua Weilerstein

Arts, Performing Arts, Music

4.9 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2024

⏱️ 54 minutes

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Summary

There are a few tropes when it comes to Schubert's late music. The pieces are very long. They have four movements. The first two movemnts are expansive, magisterial explorations of the human psyche, and the last two movements are much lighter, almost like two different pieces are at play. All of these tropes fit the Schubert B Flat Sonata we started talking about a couple of weeks ago. After the huge first movement, Schubert takes us into a world of the most remarkably simple and yet profoundly moving music in the second movement, followed by a scherzo and last movement that seem(and I emphasize the word seem) to wash all of that away. The last two movements of this sonata in particular have come in for criticism in some quarters, but this is nothing new for Schubert. You hear this criticism about his G Major Quartet, his cello quintet, and other large scale works. It's also been theorized that the final two movement "curse" Schubert seemed to struggle with is why he left his 8th symphony unfinished. But as you'll hear today, I don't think there's much, if anything, to criticize in these final two movements, and I'll try to argue that there's no drop off in quality in this music, just a different approach and outlook. But the bulk of today's show will be about this second movement. There is something beyond otherworldy in this character of Schubert's music. It doesn't belong to our world, but it doesn't belong to another world either. Instead it goes somewhere even deeper than we can possibly imagine. Schubert goes to a different place than any other composer when he is in this "mood," and in this movement, that bleak character is married to profound consolation, creating a movement of utter perfection. So let's explore the final three movements of this remarkable Sonata together. Join us!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Sticky Notes, the Classical Music Podcast. My name is Joshua
0:15.3	Weilerstein. I'm a conductor, and I'm the music director-designate of the
0:18.3	Orchestra Nacional Alleyalil and the chief conductor
0:20.8	of the Alborg Symphony. This podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field,
0:26.6	or is just getting ready to dive in to this amazing world of incredible music.
0:30.9	Before we get started, I want to thank my new Patreon sponsors, Charles, Alex, and Thomas,
0:36.0	and all of my other Patreon sponsors for making season
0:39.4	10 possible. If you'd like to support the show, please head over to patreon.com slash
0:44.1	sticky notes podcast. And if you are a fan of the show, please take a moment to give us a
0:48.1	rating or review on Apple Podcasts. It is greatly appreciated. I am in Brussels this week with the National Orchestra of Belgium, doing a really nice program with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Peter Swartz, cello concerto, a world premier cello concerto, and Ligidi's Romanian concerto.
1:07.0	And I counted, I think I've conducted the Ligidi about 25 times in my life,
1:10.9	so it's always great to come back to that piece and do it again.
1:14.0	Such a surprise for the audience to hear Ligatee sounding that way.
1:18.8	It's a piece I'll definitely try to talk about at a future date on the show.
1:22.4	For now, I'm really excited to share with you part two of Schubert's Sonata in B-flat.
1:47.0	Music to share with you part two of Schubert's sonata in B-flat. There are a few tropes when it comes to Schubert's late, as in music he wrote at the end of his life, music. The pieces are very long, sometimes up to an hour depending on repeats and tempo.
1:52.0	They have four movements, and the first two movements are expansive, magisterial explorations of the human psyche,
1:59.0	and the last two movements are much lighter, almost like two
2:02.3	different pieces are at play. All of these tropes fit the Schubert B-flat sonata we started talking
2:08.1	about a couple of weeks ago. After the huge first movement, Schubert takes us into a world
2:13.3	of the most remarkably simple and yet profoundly moving music in the second movement,
2:19.3	followed by Escherzo and last movement that seem, and I emphasize the word seem, to wash all of that away.
	...

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