KEYBOARDS
Named “the Celine Dion of classical” by The Huffington Post, world-class Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki is known for the
combination of her effervescent youth and innovative approach to her art. Her evolution into an esteemed performer was
documented by Bobbi Jo Hart, from the age of 12 to 20, for the multi award-winning feature-length documentary I Am Not
a Rock Star, which was a huge success at multiple international film festivals as well as being featured on BBC Four. She
appears frequently as a soloist, as a duo with partner cellist Julian Schwarz, and is a founding member of the Mile-End
Trio with Julian Schwarz and Jeffrey Multer. Marika holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School,
where her principal teachers were Yoheved Kaplinsky and Matti Raekallio. www.marikabournaki.com.
By Marika Bournaki
The 6 Beethoven Sonatas
You Should Know:
Discovering Lesser-Known Gems
When I got a call in March 2018 from Mark Peskanov,
the artistic director of Bargemusic in New
York City, he asked me if I would be interested in
playing Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas in concert,
culminating in the 2020 Beethoven anniversary.
I had often performed at “The Barge,” the famous
wood-paneled former coffee boat moored under the Brooklyn Bridge. It
is a perfect vessel for intimate concert experiences.
The task of learning a huge amount of music for the first time (I had
worked on maybe 10 Beethoven sonatas at that point) was daunting.
Frankly, I had never thought I would play all 32 in my life. How? When?
How quickly? I can’t do it! I can! I had a million questions and a million
thoughts, but I knew deep down I absolutely had to accept this amazing,
life-changing opportunity, challenge myself, and get to know all of this
amazing oeuvre. I decided to present 12 concerts, each about an hour
long. I would start with the first sonata and end with the last, but create
interesting programs that draw connections between the works, not play
them chronologically.
As I began planning my programs, I realized there were many pieces I
had never heard or knew existed. I was embarrassed by this fact at first, but
it became refreshing to discover “new” music by Beethoven, and discover
these gems for the first time at the piano, simply reading through at first,
then listening to multiple interpretations.
The famous Beethoven sonatas (I think of Opus 13 “Pathetique,” Opus
27 #2“Moonlight,” Opus 31 #2“Tempest,” Opus 53 “Waldstein,” Opus 57 “Appassionata,”
Opus 106 “Hammerklavier,” and Opus 81a “Les Adieux,” among
others) are famous for many reasons and emblematic of Beethoven as a
composer. They are “monuments” of piano literature – the ones students
like to learn and teachers like to teach.
But the lesser-known pieces are the missing links to the evolution of
the sonata. They are more experimental in nature and seem like bursts
of inspiration in between more substantial, worked-out creations. They
offer greater understanding of Beethoven’s ever-growing approach to
this genre and complete his lifelong narrative.
Here are six masterpieces that I discovered playing through the cycle
for the first time:
Opus 26 in A Flat Major: This piece has become one of my favourite
sonatas, ever. It opens with a gorgeous theme followed by five variations,
a rather unconventional construction for a first movement. Follows a
scherzo, a funeral march slow movement and a perpetual motion last
movement – a sequence Chopin, who greatly admired this sonata, used
for his own Piano Sonata in B Flat Minor.
Listen to: John O’Conor
Opus 27 No. 1 in E Flat Major: Subtitled “Quasi una fantasia,” this work
is played without pause between movements, in the manner of a fantasy.
Nothing in this piece feels like a traditional sonata – the form of each
movement, their order, the cyclical return of previously heard music. It is
a great example of Beethoven’s efforts to revolutionize this genre.
Listen to: Maria João Pires or Andre Watts
Opus 28 in D Major: True to its nickname “Pastoral,” this classical fourmovement
sonata has a calm and simplicity to it. It is colourful, full of
different moods, rhythms, and textures, but what strikes me the most is
the singing quality that permeates the entire work. If you listen attentively,
you might notice sounds of nature, similar to his gorgeous Symphony No.
6 of the same name, which happens to be my favourite.
Listen to: Murray Perrahia
Opus 54 in F Major: This two-movement work is an exploit in concision.
Wedged between the Waldstein and the Appassionata, it offers a humorous
détente from the gigantic proportions of its neighbours. Describing
the contrasting nature of the two movements, the pianist Anton Kuerti
puts it like so: “If the first movement was constipated, then the second
movement suffers from the opposite ailment.” Ha!
Listen to: Alfred Brendel
Opus 78 in F Sharp Major: This shorter, two-movement work was written
in 1809 for Countess Therese von Brunswick. Carl Czerny recounted
Beethoven singled out this sonata and the “Appassionata” as his own
favourites.
Listen to: Louis Lortie or Richard Goode
Opus 90 in E Major: A late middle period work, this sonata has two movements.
The first is impassioned and restless in E minor and the second is a
gentle rondo of romantic, flowing, and singing nature in E major. Even in
its relatively short length, Beethoven captures a long journey of emotion.
Listen to: Stewart Goodyear
26 CANADIAN MUSICIAN