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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
Here is a live performance from today. It's not the cleanest because I haven't been able to practice at all recently, but I feel relatively satisfied with my playing.
Enjoy!
Working on: Chopin - Nocturne op. 48 no.1 Debussy - Images Book II
Thanks Trigalg693 and Tony! Yes this is one of my favourite Beethoven sonatas, though hopefully I'll get to learn my absolute favourite, op 101 sometime soon.
To Tony, I had performed it a few months ago, but it was still sort of weird putting together a performance after only a few hours at the piano. Also, I'd like to thank you for your constructive criticism you gave me regarding this sonata when I was working on it earlier this year. Hope this time was....an improvement??
Working on: Chopin - Nocturne op. 48 no.1 Debussy - Images Book II
Really, Allan, this is quite convincing. It's miles ahead of the one you posted previously! Whatever you did to find your understanding of it--it worked. Bravo!
To Tony, I had performed it a few months ago, but it was still sort of weird putting together a performance after only a few hours at the piano. Also, I'd like to thank you for your constructive criticism you gave me regarding this sonata when I was working on it earlier this year. Hope this time was....an improvement??
Oh yes, it's even an enormous improvement compared to the first version I commented some time ago! Sorry for answering just now, I was very busy during the last weeks and saw your question only today. But it's a pleasure to me to bump your post to the front page again with my late answer, too many BachMach up there
Best wishes
Felix
P.S. Beethoven op.101 – another wonderful sonata, just go for it
Kuanpiano... Wow. Masterful playing. I don't know what to say, but I think you've pretty much got it covered. One day I will learn this piece and I'd be glad to play it half as well as you do (not that I'd stop by then! :P) But really, good job! Amazing!
Here is a live performance from today. It's not the cleanest because I haven't been able to practice at all recently, but I feel relatively satisfied with my playing.
Enjoy!
Two things: 1) First, no one, not even Tony 007, has said a single word about the gently rolled chords in this recording, which are not present in the Heinrich Schenker Urtext rendering.
2) This adds a level of beauty to this piece which very few if any pianists can attain. HOWEVER!!!, this piece was originally played by a deaf man on a solid wood sound board piano.
In no way is it appropriate, in my opinion, to play Beethoven at this exaggerated dynamic level. It gets in the way of the music.
Please take it down a couple of notches (overall), in terms of dynamics, and then you may have true perfection.
And, congratulations on the arpeggiation, although I do (and would have) utilized it on every chord in the opening section of the third movement.
Two things: 1) First, no one, not even Tony 007, has said a single word about the gently rolled chords in this recording, which are not present in the Heinrich Schenker Urtext rendering.
2) This adds a level of beauty to this piece which very few if any pianists can attain. HOWEVER!!!, this piece was originally played by a deaf man on a solid wood sound board piano.
In no way is it appropriate, in my opinion, to play Beethoven at this exaggerated dynamic level. It gets in the way of the music.
The "Rolled Chord Pope" has spoken Did anybody say that rolled chords are forbidden? They can even be very nice and precious sometimes. But why making a religion of them? Why condemning a performance just because the player was not in a "rolling mood"? Believe it or not: there are more essential things around piano playing
"Exaggerated dynamic level"? Come on, L.P., if we play these works on a modern grand, we should certainly not try to imitate a historic fortepiano. Of course we shouldn't exaggerate, but Kuanpiano is far away from that!
Czerny wrote extensively as to how arpeggiation should be used in the performance of the music of his friend and mentor Beethoven. That is certainly good enough for me.
And, as Czerny also referenced, I have never espoused the excessive rolling of chords. If you continue to distort my record on that, I cannot stop you.
Finally, Paul Badura Skoda pulled all of his Schubert recordings from distribution once he had the chance to play on the composer's wooden sound board instrument. He didn't start playing these works on a pianoforte, but he did realize that the dynamics of his recordings were light years away from how the pieces originally sounded.
I have heard this piece performed many times, also heard many recordings of it, and the OP's rendering is the loudest to date. You would say that all the others were mistaken. I think not.
Really wonderful performance of this piece! This is actually my favorite Beethoven Sonata (though it's always hard to compete with an exciting performace of the Apposionata). You did so much well on this piece. Played with excitement and momentum while bringing out the finer details. Clean playing -- did not overpedal but was not dry either. Brought out the lyrical and more bombastic side.
And those trills near the end of the 3rd movement -- beautiful playing -- sounds like stars in the heavens above.
Curious -- did you listen to many recordings of this? Any influences? For the late Sonatas I'm biased towards Alfred Brendel -- love his Schubert playing also. Have listened to his recording of this many, many times and you truly (though it's not a competition) hold your own against him. Really liked your playing in the 2nd movement -- very difficult to keep up that drive and momentum but you certainly did. Nice dynamic contrasts also.
A few small nit-picky things: In the first movement -- some of the more chordal/chorale sections felt a bit slow. Around 4:15 in 2nd movement would have liked a bit more contrast when that ominous bass melody comes in. And in the last movement -- around the 18:05 mark -- this is influenced by Brendel recording -- would love to hear that huge bass chord much more.
Again, these are tiny items -- overall you really did this difficult piece justice. I think Beethoven would have liked it!
Also, sort of liked the background of kids playing/screaming -- added a bit of Pink Floyd (The Wall) to Beethoven.
Oh gosh, someone else broached the subject of listening to other recordings. Shame on you!
Accordingly, I list the link to the premier recording of this piece from a man who learned it from Theodore Leschetizky, who learned it from Karl Czerny. I suggest the OP, and others, listen to the controlled dynamics.
