Schumann: Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.22 (Nakamatsu)

Schumann’s final (and mis-numbered) sonata is one of the most compelling in the genre. It is by some distance Schumann’s most taut, being only half as long as the other two, and yet thematically and structurally it is extremely rich, with all of Schumann’s typically fantastical textures and ideas emerging undimmed. To see how complex the Op.22 is, you just need to observe that every single movement has some serious structural innovation going on: the last movement is a sonata-rondo in ABACABACADA form (although you can even see it as ABCADABCADAEA!) with two apparent development sections, the tiny third movement’s trio is given some serious developmental treatment when it recurs, the second movement is a fusion of ABA + theme and variation + monothematic sonata form, and the first movement has so many ideas that it’s hard to figure out exactly where Theme 1 ends and Theme 2 begins (you could just as plausibly say that Theme 2 begins at 00:51, for instance).

Nakamatsu’s playing in this sonata is superb. For a start, the tempi are carefully judged: in the first movement Schumann straightaway tells the pianist to play "so rasch wie möglich" (as fast as possible), only to write in the coda "schneller" (faster), and, in the concluding bars, "noch schneller" (even faster)! Nakamatsu is one of the few pianists who gets what this apparent absurdity is all about: he takes the first movement at a ferocious speed, losing none of the clarity in contrapuntal passages, but holds back the barest scintilla of energy for the coda, where he finally floors it – note also how he liberally changes tempo in the exposition to delineate different themes. His second movement is played with sensitivity and warmth, the third is perky and precise, and the finale thrums with nervous energy, with every gorgeous contrapuntal line perfectly voiced. A striking example of Nakamatsu’s fine dynamic control is the eerie “floating” pianissimo at 17:29.

00:00 – Mvt I, So rasch wie möglich (“As quickly as possible”)
05:57 – Mvt II, Andantino. Gegtragen (“Stately/solemn”)
11:13 – Mvt III, Scherzo. Sehr rasch und markiert (“Very quickly and marked”)
12:47 – Mvt IV, Presto

MVT I
EXPOSITION
00:00 – Theme 1
00:20 – Transition
00:32 – Theme [complex] 2, motif 1
00:38 – Theme 2, motif 2
00:51 – Theme 2, motif 3
01:14 – Theme 2, motif 4 (connected to T.1)
DEVELOPMENT (note near-constant sequential treatment of themes)
02:45 – T.2/m.1, LH, joined at 2:48 by RH
02:51 – T.1 (in canon)
02:55 – T.2/m.1
02:58 – T.1
03:01 – T.2/m.1
03:09 – T.2/m.2 + T.2/m.3
03:21 – Introduction of RH figuration recalling T.2/m.3 at 1:01
03:30 – T.1
03:50 – False recapitulation. One last sequential treatment of T.1/m.1 before –
04:09 – RECAPITULATION (T.2 now modulates to the parallel major (G maj), rather than the relative major (Bb maj)
05:25 – CODA (note the amusing tempo indications, which read “Faster” here and “Even faster” at the restatement of T.1, despite the fact that the pianist has earlier been instructed to play “As fast as possible”.)
05:35 – T.1 restatement

MVT II
05:57 – “A” Section [Quasi-exposition]
06:49 – “B” Section (Var.1) [Quasi-development]
07:43 – “B” Section (Var.2) (Note extensive key changes)
09:09 – “A” Section [Quasi-recapitulation]
10:01 – Coda

MVT III
11:13 – Scherzo, T.1
11:19 – Scherzo, T.2 (Note how the phrase structure erases your sense of the bar line – a typical Schumann-ism)
11:29 – Trio (recalling Mvt 1, T.2/m.3 with its gentle syncopation)
11:39 – Scherzo, T.1
11:43 – Scherzo, T.2
11:53 – Trio (Note the highly developmental nature of this repeat, where the trio is presented in 2 different variants of the original, both of which are considerably more dramatic than the original)
12:32 – Scherzo, T.1
12:36 – Scherzo, T.2

MVT IV
QUASI-EXPOSITION
12:47 – “A” theme (G min, recalling T.1 of Mvt I)
13:09 – “B” theme (Bb maj, with long and heavily syncopated transition section at 14:04)
QUASI-DEVELOPMENT
14:27 – “A” theme (Bb min, sequential)
14:42 – “C” theme (integrating fragments of A in LH)
QUASI-RECAPITULATION
14:55 – “A theme (G min)
15:15 – “B” theme (Ab maj)
QUASI-RE(!)-DEVELOPMENT
16:32 – “A” theme (Eb min, sequential)
16:46 – “C” theme
QUASI-RE(!)-RECAPITULATION
17:00 – “A” theme (G min)
17:29 – “D” theme (CODA)
17:48 – “A” theme (final recollection of main subject)