Beethoven’s Violin Sonata #5 reflects the composer’s strong love of nature. The Sonata’s nickname seems to have been bestowed by others who found the opening Allegro suggestive of spring, no doubt deriving from the loveliness of its primary theme, announced by the violin and echoed by the piano.
Throughout this wonderful first movement, the violin and piano trade off complementary statements of that theme as if mimicking each other in a playful conversation during a tranquil walk in the woods.
It is the piano that initiates the following Adagio molto espressivo with an aria-like theme answered in kind by the violin. If the Allegro seems like a carefree amble, this movement conveys serene stillness, as if the strollers stopped to sit and enjoy the scenery.
More of a conversational nature is found in the Scherzo: It is witty and animated. The two instruments follow each other in almost canonic fashion, each figuratively on the heels of the other, thereby creating delightful syncopations that further enhance contrast with the preceding Adagio.
The closing Rondo continues in a happy mixture of syncopation, triplets and bountiful lively trills. Good humor is the byword, finding the composer in an especially buoyant state of mind.
Here are Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis to play this music for you:
