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To: AZamericonnie; ConorMacNessa; Kathy in Alaska; MS.BEHAVIN; LUV W; left that other site
The second sonata of Opus 27 is one of the most famous pieces of music in the world. It’s the famous Piano Sonata in C# minor, Op. 27/2, the Moonlight Sonata. Every piano student gets to try out the first movement, which is a slow ternary movement in 2/2 marked adagio sostenuto, “at rest and flowing”. It’s mysterious and beautiful. The first movement, like the fantasy Beethoven intends, segues into a cute little minuet in D-flat Major, marked simply allegretto in 3/4 time.

Without a segue comes the roar of the lion in sonata format, something that Lou hadn’t used in a while. It’s in 4/4 time and marked presto agitato, “super-fast and agitated”. It returns to the tonic key of C# minor and requires extraordinary agility. Each arpeggio requires four thumb-tucks on the way up, and you need an agile wrist to pull it off. Real agility was never my strong suit at the piano.
The second subject at 10:27 is in G# minor.
The exposition is repeated.
At 12:49, he starts his development by jumping into C# Major (7 sharps!) before wending his way to F# minor.
At 13:55, he recaps and positions the second subject into C# minor without a transitional passage.
At 15:30, he heads into a coda with broken diminished chords, and Lou sounds like he’s bringing it to a close. But then comes the shock – he brings back first movement material in a slow cadenza! After two held notes, he sprints to the finish line.

This is a film of the late Claudio Arrau, one of my favorite pianists.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C# minor, Op. 27/2

153 posted on 09/21/2013 4:47:12 PM PDT by Publius (To love another person is to see the face of God.)
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To: Publius

Ah...One of my favorites (except when I am trying to teach it to a student who doesn’t practice!) Argh.


155 posted on 09/21/2013 5:05:31 PM PDT by left that other site (You Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Set You Free...John 8:32)
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