Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum How hard/grade is Beethoven's moonlight sonata 3rd movement?

I'm looking for a new challenging piece to learn and am willing to spend several months on it if necessary. As for my experience, I have been playing piano for about 8 years and would probably consider Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu to be the most technically demanding piece I know how to play. If you consider Moonlight Sonata mov 3 to be too far of a goal to set please suggest another piece that may be up to par if not harder than Fantasie-Impromptu. Thank you!

From Google:

http://www.abrsm.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=19490

Id like a go at that when Ive had a crack at the second movement. My fingers do not want to know this, and my brain protesteth greatly. But the third mvt should be easier than FI which has quadruple notes using fingers which need to be athletically trained. .

I would say probably harder then the 1st and 2nd movements. Are you playing them already?

How are you making out with the technically demanding bits?

To me the 3rd movement, although fabulous sections, even when it is played very well it still sounds muddy and is not among my favorites. Plus, it is a monster to learn from what I understand. If you want to learn it and then keep it in your regular repertoire, would require constant upkeep. For me it would anyway and would require too much maintenance. If you've managed well with the Chopin, you have plenty of choices now. Many members here could help you with that. Choices, and much better ones I think. Seeking out professional advice and couching is often suggested, depending how serious you want to be.

In The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature (Alfred Publishing, 1995), which is aimed at the needs of teachers and students, Magrath says that "the final movement requires a mature pianist and presents enormous technical difficultires" (p. 66). She grades the sonata as a whole (including the last movement) at level 10, which is the most difficult level in her rating system.

If you play the Fantaisie-Impromptu comfortably then I see no problem here.

It will be easier going if you already have your 4-note broken chord exercises up to the same tempo at which you'd like to play them in Moonlight, in all keys, without tension or pain. And comfortable octave scales, again without tension or pain.

Just don't charge in playing it loud and fast with tense hands for hours on end.