Sidney Corbett (US/DE) – "... ma non troppo e molto cantabile..."
Aufnahme zum Download: Susanne Kessel, Klavier
Notenedition Vol. 3 – hier erhältlich: SHOP
Sidney Corbett über „… ma non troppo e molto cantabile…“ :
„… ma non troppo e molto cantabile…“ was written for the pianist Susanne Kessel’s remarkable project, 250 piano pieces for Beethoven.
For my work, I chose as sources three among my many favourite passages from Beethoven’s work: the c sharp minor quartet, op. 131, the c minor sonata, op. 111, particularly a passage toward the end of the second movement, the arietta, and one of the great war horses, the andante movement of the 7th Symphony in A major. The references however are indirect. For the most part, the links, harmonies and rhythms are my own and live within the context my own writing has created. The title derives from a marking in the quartet, the same is true for the marking later in the piece, adagio ma non troppo e semplice. This passage also owes some of its rhythmic shape to the corresponding passage in the quartet. The concluding passage, intimo, quasi andante, leggieramente is as mention above a reference to a passage in the c minor sonata, itself reminiscient of the scherzo in Beethoven’s 9th Symohony. And some of the repetitions in my work drawn upon the andante to the 7th as a source of inspiration.
So what the piece is then is a personal reflection upon some of Beethoven’s music, as expressed in my own language. Obviously, all composers draw upon external sources, both musical and non-musical in the creation of our works. Some of these are more readily apparent, some less so. In my case, more often than not, these sources are extra-musica: theology, philosophy, literature, visual arts are principal among these. Yet in writing for the piano, it seems to me unavoidable that Beethoven is and shall ever be there in front of us, scowling.
„… ma non troppo e molto cantabile…“ Aufführungen:
2. Juli 2016 – Uraufführung – Kunstmuseum Bonn – Susanne Kessel, Klavier
10. Dezember 2016 – Bonner Kunstverein – Susanne Kessel, Klavier
4. März 2017 – Klavierhaus Klavins, Bonn – Susanne Kessel, Klavier
3. Oktober 2017 – BKA-Theater Berlin – Jan Gerdes, Klavier
19. März 2020 – Beethovenfrachter, Mannheim – Susanne Kessel, Klavier
Sidney Corbett (*1960)
Sidney Corbett, in Chicago geboren, studierte Musik und Philosophie, u.a. an der Yale University, und war 1985 bis 1988 in der Kompositionsklasse György Ligetis in Hamburg. Seit 2006 ist Corbett Professor für Komposition an der Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Mannheim. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt seiner jüngeren Arbeit liegt im Bereich des Musiktheaters. Inzwischen liegen sechs Opern vor, die jüngste, „Die Andere“ nach einem Libretto von Christoph Hein wurde im März 2016 am Theater Magdeburg uraufgeführt. Veröffentlichungen seiner Musik liegen u.a bei den Labels Kreuzberg Records, Cybele Records, Mode Records, CRI, Edition Zeitklang, Blue Griffin, Edition Kopernikus und Ambitus Records. Corbetts Musik wird durch Edition Nova Vita verlegt und von Edition C.F. Peters, Leipzig, weltweit vertrieben.