One suggestion. Next time, add a little bit of time before you start the next movement. You can start the next movement sitting doing nothing for about 10 seconds so that the ending of the movement before has time to cause an impression on the viewer.
Phenomenal performance! The second movement is my favorite. Having learned this myself years ago (but never memorized), I can imagine the countless hours that went into this huge piece to get it to this high level.
The second movement is my favorite too. It's kind of like the calm before the storm. I learned this piece as part of my repertoire for perhaps 3-4 months.
I'm not just going to flatter you, although you deserve flattery :) Your sense of tempo and understanding of the music is VERY good!! Even better than some "professional" pianists, in my opinion. I can see you were trying for strict tempo and aggressive passages without any pauses (That musicians use to buy some time to hit the right note sometimes). I noticed that the pedal can be used a little bit more in several parts of it, and all it needs is some cleaning up, by playing slower, cleaner and gradually increasing the tempo while actively listening to what you're playing. Even if you needed to record yourself in the beginning (like you did here). It's also impressive how you learned the whole thing by heart and it's obvious that you love what you do :) keep it up. You have a better ear than many people you think are better musicians than yourself!! All you need is more practice and cleaning up and you'd be GREAT!!!
Thanks David for your great comments. I am going to start recording my practice sessions and then playing them back. To be honest, I don't do that right now, at all.
@@David-R. Thank you. I have no doubt that I will play this piece differently in 5 or 10 years time. I'm really lucky to have studied under excellent teachers from the very start.
@@alex-plays8407 I totally agree 👍🏻 I don’t think it’s gonna take you that long lol, but we definitely do keep improving over the years if we follow up with practice
@@robbc.8183 Thank you Robb. Seems like yesterday that I was sitting my ABRSM prep test exam. I hope to learn and perform Rachmaninoff Op. 30 before leaving high school. I will apply to the conservatoires and hope to teach one day.
@@alex-plays8407 I am pretty sure you will achieve that dream! You play so beautifully, and I will be here to support your performances. Can't wait to see your future rep as well! :)
Well done! This is very impressive. But there are a few things in the score to re-consider and re-memorise, that would make a lot of difference (and sometimes, if memorised wrong to begin with, they will never actually come right). I hope these comments are helpful: First movement: Bar 4 and others, the trill has an appoggiatura that means you have to start it on the lower note. Bar 10, Fate motif, fourth note is a full quarter-note (crotchet). The dots don't mean full staccato. Bar 36 and following, big lyrical theme is marked dolce, so should be slower than basic tempo, not faster. Lots of places - repeated triplets, mostly marked p or pp, and are never the most prominent voice. Bars 123 and following, your 16th notes sound much faster than they should given your overall tempo. Also first note in each hand is a tenuto quarter note. Last two bars: starts pp and goes to ppp (so you need to make this happen). Second movement: Needs more attention to individual voices, within block chords. Bass line and top line are more important within the texture. Watch when you have dotted rhythms whether these are single or double dots. (You play the bass line in bars 8 and 16 as if they were double, but they aren't). Second variation (from bar 33) the bass is more important than you allow, and the top line in the sixteenth notes needs to sing more, rather than being just part of the flow of semiquavers. Third variation shows that your basic tempo is a little too fast for comfort (it is only andante con moto). Finale Allegro is ma non troppo. One can tell from the start that yours is a bit troppo, which will have the effect of ironing out drama and giving you little scope for stepping up to presto for the coda. (Actually, you slowed down after the double bar, and it was much better!) Bars 268 and following, there are NO rests between the melodic left-hand chords here. Bars 310 and following (and 318 similarly) these chords are all marked piano, between the ff chords. Bars 333 and following, the top note in the left hand is the important one, and is marked sf for a reason, and also to be held into the following bar. This is the melodic line and has to be heard as such.
Thank you taking the time to provide such wonderful and detailed advice. I have gone through the score again, armed with your feedback, and will incorporate this into future performances of this piece.
You should be very Proud learning such a monster of a Sonata to this level When did you start Piano Lessons and how long did it take you to learn the 3 Movements Great Performance
Thanks for watching Matt. I started piano lessons around the age of five and have had typically two one-hour lessons per week. The oldest video on this channel recalls my first public performance. Back then I used to earn stickers from my teacher and these were stuck onto the score of every piece that I completed. All of my teachers have been great, which really helps, and I have always worked on extra pieces that stretch me beyond current capability. It took perhaps 3-4 months of serious / dedicated effort to learn this concerto, but that wasn't dedicated, as I always have multiple pieces on the go. I do sight read a lot of piano music, though, and so will have at least looked at / played through this piece at some point in the past.
Very Inspiring. My Dad got me Barennoim Sonatas when I was 14 and fell in Loce so I started playing around 15 Years old but self taught. I play Pathetique 3rd Mov and Tempest 3rd Movement and many others but hopefully 1 day will complete a Full Sonata Appassionata probably out of my Reach Again you should be super Proud of your Performance Alex and will watch your other Videos when I find time around the Kids lol
Thanks Matt - I will take a look at the Barenboim Sonatas as I haven't heard them. Well done on the Pathetique and Tempest, by the way, as these are first and second level diploma pieces, respectively.
Well played! One litte tip: What you do with your hands after playing the last chords of the code of the finale is also part of the pianistic gesture, lifting them up this way may not be the best solution. The question how to choreograph the movements especially occurs while doing long lasting transfers from one section of the keyboard to another. The movements need to be reflecting the musical thought. Best regards
Amazing
Bravo!
The Control, Rythm, Concentration and memory is so good and 16 years is he ?
Wonderful !
@@Roddersville Thank you so much. Alex has been dedicated to the instrument for the last ten years.
Excellent job!! A mature interpretation with very clean technique. You should be proud of yourself!
One suggestion. Next time, add a little bit of time before you start the next movement. You can start the next movement sitting doing nothing for about 10 seconds so that the ending of the movement before has time to cause an impression on the viewer.
Thank you for the advice. Really appreciate your feedback.
Wow. Thank you very much.
❤thank you❤
Very very good !!!!!!!
Thank you for listening :-)
Wow🔥🔥🔥
Thanks and warm wishes. Visited your channel. Keep up the great work.
One of my fav sonatas up there with chopin's 3rd sonata
@@_AultraGreen_ Today's pianists are lucky to have inherited such a wonderful body of repertoire.
Phenomenal performance! The second movement is my favorite. Having learned this myself years ago (but never memorized), I can imagine the countless hours that went into this huge piece to get it to this high level.
The second movement is my favorite too. It's kind of like the calm before the storm. I learned this piece as part of my repertoire for perhaps 3-4 months.
Wonderful!
Thank you :-)
I'm not just going to flatter you, although you deserve flattery :)
Your sense of tempo and understanding of the music is VERY good!! Even better than some "professional" pianists, in my opinion. I can see you were trying for strict tempo and aggressive passages without any pauses (That musicians use to buy some time to hit the right note sometimes).
I noticed that the pedal can be used a little bit more in several parts of it, and all it needs is some cleaning up, by playing slower, cleaner and gradually increasing the tempo while actively listening to what you're playing. Even if you needed to record yourself in the beginning (like you did here). It's also impressive how you learned the whole thing by heart and it's obvious that you love what you do :) keep it up. You have a better ear than many people you think are better musicians than yourself!! All you need is more practice and cleaning up and you'd be GREAT!!!
Thanks David for your great comments. I am going to start recording my practice sessions and then playing them back. To be honest, I don't do that right now, at all.
@@alex-plays8407 ❤️ I’m already excited for you for what you’re going to be able to achieve. You’re a beast in the making 😊👊🏻
@@David-R. Thank you. I have no doubt that I will play this piece differently in 5 or 10 years time. I'm really lucky to have studied under excellent teachers from the very start.
@@alex-plays8407 I totally agree 👍🏻 I don’t think it’s gonna take you that long lol, but we definitely do keep improving over the years if we follow up with practice
Wooow🥇🎗️
Thanks for visiting. Appreciate your kind support.
❤Bravo's!!!!!❤
Thank you Arturs - This was a piece that I always wanted to play.
I love watching your videos and your piano journey! Keep it up! [9:11, 15:10]
@@robbc.8183 Thank you Robb. Seems like yesterday that I was sitting my ABRSM prep test exam. I hope to learn and perform Rachmaninoff Op. 30 before leaving high school. I will apply to the conservatoires and hope to teach one day.
@@alex-plays8407 I am pretty sure you will achieve that dream! You play so beautifully, and I will be here to support your performances. Can't wait to see your future rep as well! :)
Well done! This is very impressive. But there are a few things in the score to re-consider and re-memorise, that would make a lot of difference (and sometimes, if memorised wrong to begin with, they will never actually come right). I hope these comments are helpful:
First movement:
Bar 4 and others, the trill has an appoggiatura that means you have to start it on the lower note.
Bar 10, Fate motif, fourth note is a full quarter-note (crotchet). The dots don't mean full staccato.
Bar 36 and following, big lyrical theme is marked dolce, so should be slower than basic tempo, not faster.
Lots of places - repeated triplets, mostly marked p or pp, and are never the most prominent voice.
Bars 123 and following, your 16th notes sound much faster than they should given your overall tempo. Also first note in each hand is a tenuto quarter note.
Last two bars: starts pp and goes to ppp (so you need to make this happen).
Second movement:
Needs more attention to individual voices, within block chords. Bass line and top line are more important within the texture.
Watch when you have dotted rhythms whether these are single or double dots. (You play the bass line in bars 8 and 16 as if they were double, but they aren't).
Second variation (from bar 33) the bass is more important than you allow, and the top line in the sixteenth notes needs to sing more, rather than being just part of the flow of semiquavers.
Third variation shows that your basic tempo is a little too fast for comfort (it is only andante con moto).
Finale
Allegro is ma non troppo. One can tell from the start that yours is a bit troppo, which will have the effect of ironing out drama and giving you little scope for stepping up to presto for the coda. (Actually, you slowed down after the double bar, and it was much better!)
Bars 268 and following, there are NO rests between the melodic left-hand chords here.
Bars 310 and following (and 318 similarly) these chords are all marked piano, between the ff chords.
Bars 333 and following, the top note in the left hand is the important one, and is marked sf for a reason, and also to be held into the following bar. This is the melodic line and has to be heard as such.
Thank you taking the time to provide such wonderful and detailed advice. I have gone through the score again, armed with your feedback, and will incorporate this into future performances of this piece.
@@alex-plays8407 Best wishes for this long (sometimes arduous) journey!
Thank you my friend - Nothing easy is worthwhile ;-)
You should be very Proud learning such a monster of a Sonata to this level
When did you start Piano Lessons and how long did it take you to learn the 3 Movements
Great Performance
Thanks for watching Matt. I started piano lessons around the age of five and have had typically two one-hour lessons per week. The oldest video on this channel recalls my first public performance. Back then I used to earn stickers from my teacher and these were stuck onto the score of every piece that I completed. All of my teachers have been great, which really helps, and I have always worked on extra pieces that stretch me beyond current capability. It took perhaps 3-4 months of serious / dedicated effort to learn this concerto, but that wasn't dedicated, as I always have multiple pieces on the go. I do sight read a lot of piano music, though, and so will have at least looked at / played through this piece at some point in the past.
Very Inspiring. My Dad got me Barennoim Sonatas when I was 14 and fell in Loce so I started playing around 15 Years old but self taught.
I play Pathetique 3rd Mov and Tempest 3rd Movement and many others but hopefully 1 day will complete a Full Sonata
Appassionata probably out of my Reach
Again you should be super Proud of your Performance Alex and will watch your other Videos when I find time around the Kids lol
Thanks Matt - I will take a look at the Barenboim Sonatas as I haven't heard them. Well done on the Pathetique and Tempest, by the way, as these are first and second level diploma pieces, respectively.
Well played! One litte tip: What you do with your hands after playing the last chords of the code of the finale is also part of the pianistic gesture, lifting them up this way may not be the best solution. The question how to choreograph the movements especially occurs while doing long lasting transfers from one section of the keyboard to another. The movements need to be reflecting the musical thought. Best regards
Thank you Giocomo. Appreciate your feedback.
❤Bravo's!!!!!❤
Thanks for watching. I look forward to returning to more Beethoven in the future. Might try the Waldstein next.