Beethoven Sonata Obsession lecture-recital series launches second year

September 2008

Elizabeth Goolian

“Beethoven, The Sonata Obsession,” kicks off its second year of chamber concerts and lecture-recitals designed to complement performances in the UMS Beethoven Sonata Project, as pianist András Schiff performs all thirty-two of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. A two-year project launched in the fall of 2007, “The Sonata Obsession” is the brainchild of musicology professor Steven Whiting in tandem with Logan Skelton, chair of the School’s piano department, designed to enhance the experience of those attending Schiff’s piano concerts and to enrich listeners’ understanding and appreciation of the sonata form. In performances by students in the School of MT&D, the series elucidates the work of Beethoven in the sonata form, not just piano works but works for violin, cello, piano trios, and more. The project encompasses all of Beethoven’s sonatas and features lectures by Whiting coupled with live examples performed by students. “Beethoven broke the mould nearly from the start,” says Whiting, “by publishing four-movement piano trios and solo sonatas, as if he were writing keyboard symphonies.” Don’t miss this fascinating series, scheduled throughout the 2008-2009 performance year (check the School’s online calendar of events for the full schedule). The first of this year’s series is scheduled for Sunday, September 28, in the Stamps Auditorium at the new Walgreen Drama Center. This one focuses on chamber music, with students presenting the Op. 30 sonatas for violin and piano.