MOZART: PIANO SONATAS - John Browning (LINER NOTES)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART PIANO SONATAS

Piano Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332 Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor, K. 457 Piano Sonata No. 15 in F Major, K. 533 Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475

JOHN BROWNING, piano

JOHN BROWNING plays MOZART SONATAS

Sonata in F Major, K. 332 1. Allegro 2. Adagio 3. Allegro Assai

4. Fantasie, K. 475 Sonata in C Minor, K. 457 5. Molto Allegro 6. Adagio 7. Allegro Assai

Sonata in F Major, K. 533 8. Allegro 9. Andante 10. Rondo: Allegretto John Browning, piano

Mozart's Genius of Simplicity In February of 1786, writing from Munich where he was on tour with his talented son, Leopold Mozart sent the following note to his daughter: "I think Heinrich must have practiced extremely hard, for you will be surprised when you hear him play your brother's Fantasia and Sonata, which I sent you andwhich he too possesses. He played the works on Herr von Hofstetten's fortepiano so superbly that I was thrilled."

The keyboard works to which Leopold Mozart referred are the Fantasie, K. 475 and the Sonata in C Minor, K. 457. It is hard to imagine how any pianist alive during Mozart's lifetime was able to play Wolfgang Mozart's piano works, because he himself was such an amazing pianist. It is clear from Mozart's letters that when he composed for the fortepiano, he composed for himself and in fact had the extraordinary ability to remember the exact notes he'd composed even when he

no longer had the written music available to him.

Perhaps the greatest mystery of Mozart's solo piano music lies not in what he wrote, but in what he didn't write. When you listen to the sonatas there is a deceptive simplicity to the music, Melodies flow unimpeded, naturally moving smoothly between major and minor, from powerful tender, sending the clear message that this sequence of notes is the only possible way for the music to exist. That is the secret to Mozart's piano music, and it is especially evident in the four works on this recording.

There is some debate about when Mozart actually composed the Piano Sonata in F Major, K. 332. One theory is that it was composed in Paris in 1778 when Mozart was trying to establish his career in the French capital. Another theory is that it was actually composed in 1783 when Mozart and his wife Constanze traveled from Vienna to Salzburg for a short visit with Leopold, Mozart's last journey to his hometown.

Whichever theory is accurate, the result is a sonata that blends long passages of cheerfulness with passing moments of trouble and anxiety. If this sonata was composed during the earlier period, which seems most likely, it came amid a series of extraordinary sonatas not only for piano solo, but some for violin and piano as well.

That year, 1778, also saw the composition of Mozart's Concerto for Flue and Harp, the two Flute Concertos and the Symphony No. 31, appropriately titled the Paris Symphony. It is probable that Mozart composed the Sonata, K. 332 expressly for the piano students he hoped to have in Paris, although given the tempo of the last movement, it is hard to imagine many students who could successfully traverse the passages Mozart composed.

The Fantasie, K. 475, composed in 1785, is a brooding work that is uncharacteristically dark. The opening and overriding mood is somber. Yet, as Mozart always seemed to do, there are passages of bittersweet tenderness that break through the clouds to provide the proverbial silver lining. The Fantasie and the Sonata in C Minor, K. 457, were

published together, as one work. In both compositions the pre-Romantic, Beethoven-like sonorities are inescapable.

This is Mozart letting his internal battles, his striking inability to secure steady employment and what must have been the great weight of his career and financial problems, appear in his music. We generally think of Mozart as a 'sunshine' composer, a man whose melodies always glowed positively. Yet here, as in the two piano concertos written in minor keys, we hear a darker side of Mozart. But, periodically that darker side gives way to the carefree, only to ultimately win out in the end.

The two years immediately following the premiere of The Marriage of Figaro in 1786 were an in credibly fertile period for Mozart. Although most of his time was spent working on larger works, incuding three extraordinary piano concertos, the Symphony No. 38, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Don Giovanni, Mozart still managed to spin out many small- scale works including three trios, a piano quartet and three string quintets. Some where amid that vast output, probably in 1788, he

composed the Piano Sonata in F Major, although the movement was originally composed in 1786. The first movement is a bubbly delight that sets up the introspective, truly dreamy second move ment. It is a work of delicacy, a jewel with simple melodies. But what makes this sonata especially interesting is its history, for in this one piece we hear Mozart the composer before and after the composition of Don Giovanni. The work is neither overwhelmingly cheerful nor predominantly sad, much the way Don Giovanni is neither tragedy nor comedy, but both.

Can we see into a composer's mind through his music? In Mozart's case, that is usually an impossibility because his cheerful music belies the struggles history shows he must have endured.

Yet, in this collection of solo piano music, all composed during a span of nine years, we can hear the man through the music, and with a bit of imagination one can see the man, Mozart, playing as he composed, all the while smiling at how deceptively

simple the music sounds and yet how challenging it is to play well.

-Anthony Rudel Anthony Rudel is the author of the novel Imagining Don Giovanni, as well as Classical Music Top 40 and Tales From the Opera.

John Browning In the tradition of the great Romantic pianists, John Browning has earned a distinguished reputation for his exceptional interpretive gifts, technícal mastery of keyboard color and sonority and deep commitment to music. He is considered one of the most important and extraordinarily compelling virtuoso performers of today, and remains the only American pianist of his generation to continuously sustain an active performing and recording schedule. Now in the sixth decade of an illustrious international career, he has become an American luminary of musical greatness, impressing audiences and critics with his passion,

integrity and probing musical imagination extensive repertoire that ranges from Bach and Scarlatti to 20th- century composers.

His highly acclaimed recordings, which have garnered three Grammy° nominations and two Grammy* Awards, along with a number of significant compositions that were written for and dedicated to him by renowned composers, further illustrate the superlative breadth of his artistic scope. "By dint of unremitting application and a vast reserve of talent, John Browning has built one of the most enduring careers of any American pianist solely on merit, with invariable dignity, without the slightest recourse to ballyhoo and banality" (The Los Angeles Times) Since his triumphant debut in 1956 with the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Browning has appeared in virtually every music capital of the world, amascing accolades for his solo recitals, concerto appearances and recordings. He continues to be in demand with the worlds leading ensembles and conductors, a measure of high regard for his impeccable and eloquent musicianlship. He performs

and records a broad spectrum of works spanning three centuries, from Mozart to the grand virtuoso masterpieces of Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Ravel and Tchaikovsky his repertoire includes 43 concertos. In addition to championing the works of Samuel Barber, with whom he has long been as sociated, he has premiered and recorded works by the contemporary American composers Richard Cumming and Joan Tower. "Mr. Browning comes as close to perfection as one would hope to hear in this world," proclaimed The New York Times.

Mr. Browning has toured internationally and his performances abroad have included the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic, London and Scottish National Symphony Orchestras and, most recently, the Royal Stock holm Philharmonic with Andrew Davis. He has collaborated with the likes of Leonard Slatkin and Pinchas Zukerman.

ics R o y a l t i s.e

d n a d e c u d o r P

e r i s . u ℗ q S & y r © o g 1 e 9 r 9 G 4 y H b e d r i e t r a e g e e n ig M u n E