MUS 121
Jeffrey Phelps, cello and Lee Jordan-Anders, piano
14 October, 2012
Dr. Ford
Tidewater Community College
CA#1

The Program

Sonata in A Major, Opus 69 (1808) Ludwig van Beethoven Allegro, ma non tanto Scherzo, Allegro molto Adagio cantabile/Allegro vivace

Sonata (1915) I.Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto II.Serenade: Moderement anime III.Final: Anime, leger et nerveux Claude Debussy

The Concert

On Sunday, 14 October, Jeffrey Phelps, cello and Lee Jordan-Anders, piano, performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata in A Major, Opus 69 (1808) and Claude Debussy’s Sonata (1915) …show more content…
The rhythm was syncopated with a constant emphasis on beat three of every measure with the second beat marked by silence. The timbre of the cello felt bright, even in its lower register. There was an ostinato form in this piece and again, the cello and piano seemed to talk to each other, with a call and response pattern familiar in the first movement of this sonata. Movement two seemed to reach a dynamic climax halfway through which was forte, only to return to piano. The melody in the piano alternated between conjunct and disjunct and as the dynamics became louder the contour of the melody was ascending. The exchanges between the cello and piano created a lively mood throughout the movement and the texture once again became homorhythmic with a return to a polyphonic texture. I heard these textures throughout the Scherzo. The timbre of the piano and cello became quite broad with very loud dynamics. The theme was repeated and again, ostinato was at play. The movement ended with dynamics of the piano forte, the cello and piano using a texture that was heterophonic, because both instruments were playing in unison. The cello was plucked near the very end which created a dull timbre. The piano again employed a dynamic that was piano. This piece was full of manic energy that left me wanting to hear more. The word scherzo means “joke” but this lively little piece was anything but a joke!

The third movement