What is the connection between Beethoven and Bach? American pianist Kit Armstrong invites you to listen to Beethoven’s sonatas from the perspective of one of the composer’s great idols: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), whose “Well-Tempered Clavier” was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). In his piano recital at the Beethovenfest Bonn, Kit Armstrong plays six works from Bach’s “Well-tempered Clavier” and three works from Beethoven’s opulent cosmos of sonatas. The concert took place in the Bonner Plenarsaal on 10 September 2023.
Legendary pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow once called “The Well-Tempered Clavier” by Johann Sebastian Bach the “Old Testament for pianists”. This collection consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 keys, major and minor. To Bülow, Ludwig van Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas represented the “New Testament for pianists”. Beethoven composed them between 1795 and 1822, thereby revolutionizing this genre. Beethoven’s sonatas as well as Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” are known as essential parts of classical music.
(00:00) Intro (00:16) Speech by Kit Armstrong (04:16) Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B-flat major, BWV 890 (12:13) Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 885 (17:32) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31/2 ‘The Tempest’, I. Largo – Allegro (27:02) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31/2 ‘The Tempest’, II. Adagio (24:27) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31/2 ‘The Tempest’, III. Allegretto (40:28) Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp minor, BWV 873 (47:57) Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D major, BWV 874 (55:05) INTERMISSION (1:22:42) Speech by Kit Armstrong (1:26:17) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49/1, I. Andante (1:29:57) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49/1, II. Rondo. Allegro (1:33:56) Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-sharp major, BWV 882 (1:40:54) Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F-sharp minor, BWV 883 (1:44:06) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, I. Vivace, ma non troppo (1:48:04) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, II. Prestissimo (1:50:34) Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo (2:06:58) George Frideric Handel, Suite No. 5 in E major, HWV 430, IV. Air & Variations ’The Harmonious Blacksmith’ Kit Armstrong |
Kit Armstrong, born in Los Angeles in 1992, is truly an all-rounder. He started speaking at just nine months of age, and soon after, could count and calculate. At five, Kit Armstrong played the piano and composed his own music, at eight, he played his first concert and at ten, he performed his own composition for the first time. The New York Times called him a “brilliant pianist”. And Kit Armstrong‘s talent was not limited to playing the piano. When he was seven years old, Kit Armstrong studied composition and physics. It made him the youngest student ever to have been admitted to Chapman University of California. When he was nine, he transferred to Utah State University in order to study music, math, biology and physics.
From 2003 onward, Kit Armstrong studied piano at the Curtis Institute of Music while also being enrolled for Math and Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Since he turned 13, he has also been taught by Alfred Brendel. The world-renowned pianist referred to Kit Armstrong as a “child prodigy” in 2008, and as “the greatest musical talent that I have encountered in my life”. The musician then completed his music education with honors at the Royal Academy of Music in London and won the international Kissinger Klavierolymp competition in 2006. As a solo pianist, Kit Armstrong has worked with many conductors around the world, including Christian Thielemann and Robin Ticciati as well as orchestras like the Vienna Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Armstrong is fluent in four languages and likes to do origami in his spare time.
Beethovenfest Bonn is one of the oldest and most important music festivals in Germany. Founded in 1845 by Franz Liszt in Beethoven’s birthplace, it is now an internationally recognized cultural beacon with around 80 events in Bonn and the region every year in August and September.
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