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I'm a second-year music minor in college, and my teacher has asked me to choose something from the classical period for one of the pieces I learn next quarter. She recommended Beethoven for me. I'm not too familiar with Beethoven's piano repertoire, as my interest thus far has been more on the romantic period.

The last two pieces I played were Shostakovich's 2nd Prelude in A minor, (from his preludes, not P&F's) and Rachmaninoff's Prelude in B Minor, Op.32 No.10.

I'm looking for something by Beethoven that I can get very excited about as I would a romantic piece by Chopin or Rachmaninoff. Can anyone suggest a piece to me that is relatively short in length (7 pages or less) and somewhat dark and/or fast? I'm looking for something that will be a technical challenge for me, so fast scales and arpeggios are a welcome addition.

Thanks,
James

James,

Piano sonata no. 24 in F#, Op. 78, is 10 pages in the Tovey edition, is fairly demanding and a very sweetly romantic piece from LvB's late middle period. I recommend Annie Fischer's recording on Hungaroton.

Try the op.28 sonata, specifically the 1st movement - its not too long, and its very lovely.

Well, since I'm deep into the Pathetique, I might suggest that one. The first movement may exceed your page suggestion a bit, but you can do it without the repeats. The rondo movement is a bit shorter and is quite fun. It's a good example of early Beethoven.

First movement of the Op. 90 sonata.

The recommendation for the 1st mov o'the E minor sonata seconded!

Rage Over the Lost Penny, perhaps? Fast, lots of scales and chords in several different flavors of arpeggios. Not his best work, however.

You might want to try some of the Bagatelles. There is a lot of variety in them. They are mostly short, so you could learn several to work on a variety of techniques, both technical and musical. Many of them are among his best works.

You could also consider a set of variations, like the 32 Variations in c minor, although that may be longer than you want. Great music, though.

32 variations in c minor would be a great piece for you. there's sort of Romantic overtune to it.

Craig,

With due respect, I'd save that one for later. It's actually terribly demanding, especially the memorization in the last mov't. Wouldn't the Op. 79 meet the criterion better?

Op. 79 is usually considered a sonatina. Yes, the F# makes demands, but I thought that is what James was looking for. He has been performing preludes by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff, afterall.

Okay, how about something from the same era but off the beaten Beethoven path: his Polonaise in C, Op. 89, from 1814. My recording of Ax runs a leisurely 5'.

Even more off the beaten path is Cziffra's recording of this polonaise (his Beethoven recs, while not rare, are practically unknown). It is 6:12, and in my opinion, a great recording of a somewhat mediocre piece (I think I read somewhere that Beethoven wrote it very quickly after encountering some financial troubles). In the hands of a master, the work can be very unique and interesting. I actually recommend it heartily, even moreso perhaps because of its weaknesses as a composition (in my opinion, it leaves more to your imagination, and challenges you to bring it to a high level). Some no doubt find the reasoning flawed, but that's why I never recommend myself as a piano teacher...hah...goodbye, money.

My only other recording of this admittedly mediocre piece (guess that's why it is off the beaten path) is by Pletnev, clocked at 5:52. I don't know the exact timing on the Ax record, it's just a record, coupled with Les Adieux and Appassionata. I also still have a record of Ax playing the Waldstein and Eroica variations. Pretty good stuff, actually. So where does that leave us for James? Maybe just the first movement of Op. 78.

But not considered so by Beethoven. There is no evidence of that. Originally it was to be Op. 78 #2- the autograph confirms it. In the event, the G major sonata was published with its own separate opus number.

But that's not here nor there. If I read the original post correctly, the Op. 78 would not fit into the category of what this individual was looking for. On the other hand, your suggestion of the Polonaise should fit the bill perfectly. It's hardly vintage Beethoven, and I believe Goldberg is correct when he says it was written more for financial gains. I may even go further and suggest -there is some evidence for this- that Beethoven wrote the work earlier and just pulled it out of his portfolio, much like the case with the Op. 49 sonatas.

What earlier pieces have you done? What Bach, Mozart, Haydn?

I am a little bit afraid of your answer, since you mention that you like romantic pieces. You also want something dark and fast, that is a bit of a danger too.

You will struggle in Beethoven if you don't have a strong foundation with Bach and the classical masters - Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich do not require the same technique that Beethoven does. His is much, much closer to what came before him - so it's important to know how to approach the instrument from those earlier styles.

I haven't played much in the way of earlier pieces. Worked on a Bach prelude a while back, as well as a two-part invention...Played Rondo Alla Turka by Mozart several years back. There's somewhat of a classical/baroque gap in my repertoire, and it's catching up with me. Thanks for all the thoughtful posts so far.

EDIT: I also worked on the first movement of Sonata Pathetique several years back, but I was obviously unable to rise to the technical challenge. I'd say that overall, I'm "okay" at playing pieces from the classical and baroque eras, and capable of learning fairly advanced repertoire from those periods, but I'm not as comfortable with them as I am with romantic works.

James,

I think that if you haven't yet mastered the easier sonatas (Op. 49) you should run through those to see how they feel. Op. 79 is also quite easy and has a beautiful slow middle movement.

Jason,

Your knowledge of LvB is great. My index states year of composition for the polonaise as 1814 with no equivocation. But since that is an avowedly minor piece, how about one of the Rondos, Op. 51? These have been recorded by premier pianists, including Richter. I have not played either of these through, though, so don't know which would be easier, though from experience I know LvB's easiest works are in G so I would go with no. 2. These were both written before 1800 so, like op. 49, their opus number is anachronistic.

I went back and pulled out the music, and I really think that if you are interested in improving your technique with a piece, the 32 variations in c minor would suit you very well. Each variation is short and deals with some aspect of technique. Czerny may well have used them for a model for some of his studies, but he lacked his teacher's musical sense.

It is a chaconne, which would be an introduction to older compositional forms. On the other hand, Schubert used the theme for his antepenultimate sonata, so it is forward-looking as well.

The theme is short and well suited as an introduction to analysis. The many ways Beethoven could take a chordal pattern and rework them demonstrates his compositional methods. It is a lesson in improvisation from the master.

For a real challenge to your musicanship, try playing them the way a teacher around here used to do: Play the variations in reverse order!

I've listened to the first movement of Op.90 and followed along with the score. I do enjoy the piece a great deal, and I'd love to be able to play it. It might be a bit ambitious, however--I'd probably have to get my teacher's second opinion. Some of the left hand figurations towards the end look pretty difficult, though I'd have to sit down at a piano and see how they feel. A very nice composition, though.

It's already determined that I'll be playing Schubert's Moment Musicaux in Ab next quarter, so I have that to worry about as well.

I glanced at Op. 79, I think it's a little bit too challenging/long for me at this point. Not to mention, I know someone who played it last year, and it's nice to keep repertoire among students nice and varied. Plus, he's a performance major and I'm a music minor.

Thanks for the continuingly thoughtful comments.

James

James,

Okay. Let's move on to the bagatelles, op. 119, a set of eleven short pieces in various moods and levels of difficulty. No. 1 in g is in intermediate territory and would make a good starting piece. You can look through the others to see what suits your fancy and ability.

Good luck in your search.

For the suggestion of the Rondos, I think Op. 51 No. 1 (the one in C-major) is easier. I haven't played No. 2, but looking at the score it seems like there are more technical challenges in it, with trickier runs and ornaments.

I'm not sure if you'd be interested though as those have a more classical flavour to them.

For some darker works, the first and third movements from the Tempest might be a possibility but those are quite a challenge. Personally I think the first movement is more difficult with the tremolos, whereas the third movement might be manageable if you don't push the tempo too much (it is marked Allegretto after all). You could look through them if you want.

The Bagatelles (as suggested above) are probably a better choice if you can get into the music. I've read through Op. 119 No. 1 before, and it does seem to be a good choice in terms of technical challenge/length.