Beethoven: Sonata No.17 in D Minor, "Tempest" (Korstick, Grimaud, Lewis)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- The Tempest Sonata is one of those crazy feats of compositional genius whose sheer craft is undetectable because it’s so emotionally compelling from the very first listen. But there is no harm in briefly listing what makes it so extraordinary, I suppose.
In the 1st movement nearly everything is built up from the first line of music - the motifs of a arpeggio, scale, and turn. It’s kind of impossible to unhear once you know they’re there, and it’s a level of motivic integration that represents the perfection of the technique Haydn developed. There’s also the incredibly dramatic use of long (developed) recitative-like passages as contrast to passages of searing intensity, and the introduction of wonderfully dark new material in the recapitulation. The 2nd movement is unreasonably beautiful, and the famous 3rd features some of the most gorgeous modulations ever put to paper. Note also how the dramatic movement happens not in the (almost unchanging) figuration, but in the harmony, where turbulence and restlessness is often followed by very long periods of total harmonic stasis [e.g., 23:21], usually as a dominant preparation.
MVT I
EXPOSITION
00:00 - Theme Group 1, Motif A (Rising Arpeggio)
00:14 - TG1, Motif B (Scalar Passage, with notes in groups of 2)
00:18 - TG1, Motif C (Turn)
00:24 - Counterstatement of TG 1, entering in a surprise E6, the dominant of III
00:37 - Motif B
00:48 - Transition (or an extension of TG 1): Motif A rising in bass, answered by Motif C in RH. Surprisingly substantial.
01:06 - Theme Group 2, Theme 1 (= Motif B!, with Motif C in the LH.) A minor.
01:18 - TG2, Theme 2 (= Motif C, with lengthened 2nd note)
01:26 - TG2, Theme 2, with Motif C now in the deep bass
01:31 - TG2, Theme 3 (Cadential Theme)
DEVELOPMENT
03:51 - Motif A, repeated thrice, arriving in F#
04:37 - Transition Theme (Motif A + C), sequentially deployed, rising constantly
04:58 - 22(!) bars of dominant preparation, totally devoid of any thematic allusion. Short recitative (with a little Neapolitan Eb) leads into
RECAPITULATION
05:19 - TG1, with 4 bars of recitative attached to each statement of the largo. This section hangs on a Ab, which is transformed
06:43 - into a G# (in enharmonic implied Gb minor!) in a darkly guttural 4 chords. This ushers in a extraordinary modulating section.
06:55 - TG2, in tonic.
07:36 - CODA
MVT II
EXPOSITION
07:59 - Theme 1. (Motif A = rising double-dotted 3-note figure)
09:38 - Transition, with stately rising theme. (Motif B = drumroll in bass)
10:55 - Theme 2. At 11:42 Motif B enters, building into dominant minor 9th chord
RECAPITULATION
12:08 - Theme 1, with Motif A immediately used as inner voice. At 13:00 a demisemiquaver accompaniment drifts down the keyboard
13:42 - Transition
14:54 - Theme 2
CODA
15:42 - Motif B, again building into a dominant minor 9th
16:26 - Motif A, rounded-off, in LH then RH
16:45 - Recalling Theme 1
17:19 - A new, 2-bar long 3rd theme enters and is repeated in the middle voice, before the movement ends.
MVT III
EXPOSITION
18:06 - Theme Group 1, Theme 1. A single motif (Motif A) repeated 16 times in RH. Note codetta with chromatic descending line
18:29 - Transition. Theme 1 in bass, interspersed with arpeggiated figure
18:38 - Theme Group 2, Theme 1, entering with insistent hemiola and 6 bars of dominant harmony
18:55 - TG2, Theme 2
19:05 - TG2, Theme 3 (Cadential Theme)
DEVELOPMENT
20:26 - Motif A in dim7 of iv, modulating into A min
20:37 - The bass uses Motif A to climb up a dim7 in D min, then shifts to D min harmony, then shifts into C min by flattening the A and introducing the inversion of Motif A in the RH. Then movement into the dim7 of Bb min
20:54 - Dramatic entrance of inverted A motif in RH, while LH climbs up bass chromatically.
21:06 - TG1 Theme 1, in Bb min
21:12 - Chromatic rising, landing on a dominant 7, suddenly revealed
21:19 - to be a augmented 6th when it resolves into the dominant of D min
21:23 - Dominant preparation begins, oscillating between G min and D min
21:41 - 16 bars of continuous descent to the home dominant
RECAPITULATION
21:53 - TG1, Theme 1. The bII in bar 18 becomes the subdominant of Bb, introduction a surprisingly lyrical passage.
22:14 - Transition. Tonal movement around circle of 5ths. G min harmony becomes augmented 6th chord, leading back into
22:34 - D min, TG2. Note how at 23:00 (Theme 3) Beethoven omits the expected high G, since his piano didn’t have the note, and substitutes a really nice repetition of the high D instead.
CODA
23:12 - Mimicking the beginning of the development, without forte outbursts
23:21 - for 16 bars(!) we dwell on the dominant, leading to
23:33 - a violent restatement of TG1 Theme 1, with an A pedal in the highest registers
23:54 - The original codetta from Theme 1 is now presented in full. With another familiar tonic-dominant swing the sonata ends. - เพลง
Korstick:
00:00 - Mvt 1
07:59 - Mvt 2
18:06 - Mvt 3
Grimaud:
24:15 - Mvt 1
32:30 - Mvt 2
40:08 - Mvt 3
Lewis:
46:05 - Mvt 1
54:54 - Mvt 2
1:03:14 - Mvt 3
Korstick’s playing is typically hyper-focused, uncompromising. Listen to the explosive contrasts he produces in the 1st movement, the sheer tension in those tremolos, or the way he articulates the slurs at 3:03. The 2nd movement is taken at a slow tempo, but the result is surprisingly meditative and compelling. Korstick’s also one of the few pianists who takes the 3rd movement as it is written: the LH is distinctly non legato, and he actually holds down the second LH note of each bar to create a slightly odd, lurching effect. But when the slurs do eventually emerge in the LH, Korstick notices, and follows suit.
Grimaud brings a palpable sense of menace to the first movement, and some really fine dynamic shading: listen to how Motif 3 emerges as a sotto voce presence in the transition between TG1 and TG2 in the first movement, for instance, or the incredible suspense generated at 31:11. It’s a distinctly personal recording, and a really satisfying one: the 2nd movement is sweet but not saccharine, and the fast tempo of the last movement creates some pretty fun effects: the bars almost sound like they’re grouped in 2 groups of 3 semiquavers, and you get the impression of huge blocks of shifting harmony, rather than individually transformed motifs.
Lewis plays the 1st movement with incredible sweep and pathos, aided by a relatively moderate tempo, and 2nd is shaped so perfectly and played with such warmth it sounds like an orchestral slow movement. Lewis’ 3rd movement is out of the most flat-out beautiful things I’ve heard: listen to the way he shapes the arch at 1:03:45, or the way he emphasizes those slurs at 1:03:51. Yes, he does smooth out most of the rough edges in the score - but this interpretation is a perfect demonstration of why ignoring the score can be a great idea.
Small typo in the time marking for Lewis' 3rd movement. Should be 1:03:14 :)
Thanks for the upload. Looking forward to listening to all 3 interpretations in depth.
Corrected. :)
In your comment, you said that Lewis's interpretation is the perfect example of ignoring the score can be a great idea. Would you mind elaborating on what aspects of the score is he ignoring? I'm not trying to argue or disagree with you. I just want to see a further elaboration. From what I can see, there weren't anything on the score that prohibits or discourage Lewis's approach to it.
Fair enough. In just the exposition of the Allegretto:
1. Lewis does not hold the third note in the LH (or rather makes it meaningless by holding all the notes. As Schiff observes, that held note only makes sense if the passage is played without pedal).
2. He plays the opening LH legato when no legato is indicated (again, because of the held third note, which only makes sense if the LH is "dry".)
3. He does not use any staccato on the last note of each Motif A in the RH, though it is very clearly indicated in the score.
4. At 1:03:44, the arpeggio passage is notated non legato in the RH, and staccato in the LH. Lewis ignores both features and plays the whole thing with pedal and heavy legato, *and* adds in a crescendo. Beautiful, but definitely not obeying the score.
5. At 1:03:59, the entrance of the broken octaves is starkly marked forte, but Lewis enters in piano and builds to forte with a lovely crescendo instead (that is not in the score).
And I really could go on, but I think I've made my point. You shouldn't get worried about the fact that Lewis is disobeying the score -- the result is musically wonderful, which fully justifies those departures.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar Thank you for the reply. I am not at all worried about Lewis' deviation from the score's instructions. Far from it, in fact. It's certainly nice to hear a more restraint and lyrical approach to the Tempest than the usual "play it hard and loud" direction that quite a few pianists tend to take regarding this particular sonata. Not that that interpretation is bad, but a fresh take on something that is so commonly known and played is definitely welcomed.
I just wanted to hear from you what particular spots Lewis was taking liberties on. You've certainly made your points. Once again, thank you for the reply, also for the wonderful videos you upload and the commentaries alongside them. It makes my day to see a notification that you've posted a new video. Keep it up!
20:26 This is amazingly beautiful.
And the way it ends, it's like the whole piece just vanishes into thin air.
like a storm ending
Beethoven était coutumier du fait : sonates 7 et 12, variations diabelli , trio 7 , quatuor 10 , bagatelles 0P 126.
Thank you for this. It is a great selection of recordings not just for their integrity but for the difference in interpretation.
What a fantastic piece of work you're doing to reveal and explain us all the details of the composition through the best and most diverse interpretations... Your videos (and especially their descriptions) are really excellent! Thank you very much!
All three artists are other worldly. So grateful to have these .. thanks you so much for uploading these.
Your work is simply outstanding! Thanks for all your wonderful uploadings!!! Best regards from Brazil!
I'll never forget when my piano teacher brought me my first Beethoven Sonata I felt like the coolest kid on the block lol Beethoven was the first Composer I loved to play and like millions of others will Always Love Beethoven' PJ GRAND
Me too
Cual fue tu primer sonata? La mía esta
Lewis' interpretation blew me away. His command of expression and tempo serves the music so well, to the point where it almost breathes new life into this piece which has been heard so many times.
Спасибо за такой грандиозный труд! Замечательное исполнение!
The end of the third movement is one of many examples of Beethoven's genius: The climax is reached by playing the first period of the main theme fortissimo and thickening the texture by adding the A pedal in the highest register. At this point, any other composer would have written the rest of the theme in a similar manner. But at bar 357, what does Beethoven do? He reduces the dynamics to piano, removes the pedal points, and returns to the way the theme had been played before.
When I was younger, I didn't understand why he would do something so anticlimactic. But this piano is more striking/climactic than any fortissimo would have been. By doing this, Beethoven is emphasizing how beautiful this part of the theme is (aided by that tasty Neapolitan harmony) and claiming that it was in its perfect form all along.
Dear Ashish Xiangyi Kumar: what a wonderful and amazing effort of yours! Thank you so much. A different kind of composition, yet one of its own right.
Just pure respect and gratitude for the wonderful job you're doing!
Exactly !!
I just cannot explain how much I enjoy your analysis of these Beethoven Sonatas.
Korstick is an amazing beast. Thank you for uploading these sonatas Ashish. I look forward to your future uploads.
Korstick nails it ! He remains true to the music an true to himself. In that order.
3 amazingly different interpretations! Listening to Korstick's interpretation of the 3rd movement was almost like listening to the piece again for the first time.
I learned to play this 10 years ago, not perfect but I enjoyed it so much.
Oh I played this 100 years ago 😎
I tried but I was a guitar player and beginning piano. Nothing better than listening to a great peice of music other than being able to play it.
the third movement is so much fun
Beethoven was blessed
@@kbowser1064 this is one of the hardest Beethoven Sonata he written, so you should start with an easy one
finally, my favorite of the Beethoven Sonatas!
Wow. Grimaud's version blew me away. I love her brisk tempo for the last movement.
20:26 - 21:08 is the most beautiful extract i've ever heard
That sly, cheeky Beethoven, he avoided repeats entirely in the 2nd movement and made them vary so much that nobody can make the excuse of "oh, we'll ignore the repeats for the sake of brevity this recital/record." And the inexperienced public stares in bewilderment, wondering how long this movement will truly go, and as a pianist you know you cannot justify any omissions, it's exactly as long as it needs to be.
Oh my gosh, Helen Grimaud's version.......I've fallen in love with it! My favorite
This is wonderful - thank you! I can tell from your writing and your analysis that you are a deeply intelligent and also emotional lover of music. It gives me great joy to know that you exist and that you are putting effort into lovely things like this. Cheers, my world is a little better today!
My favourite Beethoven sonata!
The effort you put in these descriptions is incredible!! I just compared the third movement and like Lewis' rendition best. I agree - it can be a good thing to ignore the score!
Happy 250th birthday Beethoven!
Korstick - he sticks to the core as his name tells it yet...
Dad joke XD
I absolutely adore dad jokes because they logically make sense
Did you notice that Beethoven modulates from d minor to a minor (Dominant Minor)?
lol
5 years and still the most underrated comment on this vid
Every time I listen to the sonata, I always think 5:30 is going to turn into Happy Birthday
th-cam.com/video/EWpyfhpab-w/w-d-xo.html
Lucky for you, someone made it so just for you.
😅
Love your channel !
The recitatives are transcendent and mystical.
The description is super helpful to read while listening and looking at the sheet music.
My favorite of all time Sonata, especially 3rd Mvt
3rd movement has very beautiful theme! :-)
I love the outer two movements in Korstick's recording. The slow movement's just a bit too slow for me. But that finale - wow. Love how he uses minimal pedal, so the last note in each of the 4-note RH figures is shortened, as LvB marked it, and you can hear the tied As in the left hand in the opening theme. And his first movement is just terrific.
That 2nd movement is, funnily enough, the biggest hurdle of the whole damn sonata as far as memorization goes. So many subtle changes every time something repeats, so hard to maintain your patience and internal tempo choice when things start to rhythmically "speed up". So many delicate phrasing considerations while you feel totally exposed as a pianist and in the meanwhile you're hoping for dear life that your crescendos don't peak too early in the movement.
@@stapler942 I find the second movement quite difficult to bring off; getting the right sound on those drumroll figures, and that top-to-bottom arpeggio figure against the opening theme is very tricky to play cleanly.
@@stapler942 It’s also another predictably boring slow movement from Beethoven. So much work to learn for no benefit.
@@BRNRDNCKits not boring at all its kinda nice and chill
Absolutely spectacular!
1st movement is the best. It's really "tempest" with this suddenly transition to largo. This movement keeps you in suspense from begin to end.
I like Korstick's version the best. He plays what Beethoven has composed. Furthermore you experience it as a storm, and not a way to lick yourself to a promotion. Also you hear the individual notes tell a story, uncompromising. Lewis and the other one have their own interpretation of the song, but they didn't originally write it nor they are Beethoven. I like Korstick's version the best, because it has the virtuosity of the original score, and because Beethoven tells something in a beautiful fashion in the song.
I'm a complete layman. I like to talk about the music.
I would love to talk about the technicalities of the song, eventhough I'm unconfident in musical theory.
This Sonata is one of my favorite pieces and I am currently studying the Last Movement which has a very contagious theme!
Last movement is Bachian.
Great stuff!
Love Beethoven!
1 часть:
0:01 - гп
0:48 - сп
1:07 - пп
2 часть:
7:59 - гп
3 часть:
18:06 - гп
18:40 - пп
The third movement leaves speechless.
The B min - G Maj - C maj progression in the development in the 1st mvt is also present in that of his 23rd piano sonata.
when people say classical music is relaxing and boring, they've never heard this!
this is a terrible argument. Even the ones deemed ‘boring’/‘relaxing’ are very moving, theyre just listening to it wrong
@@juv7026 perfectly agree
Marvelous!
Foarte frumos!
Today morning I was working with this on my headphones and I was like: omg it sounds always the same but it's always different, damn Beethoven must have been really a genious... Well now that i came for a second listen I realized
신기하네요.
이 곡으로 대학을갔는데.
악보를보니 왜 이리도
생경할까요.마음이 가득차오릅니다.
악보올려주셔서,너무좋습니다.
Thank you
Very good phrasing for all of these performers.
lol
In the Adagio the marking is double dotted 8th note followed by a 32nd note. All three pianists play a dotted 8th with a 16th. Please people, play closer to the ink.
BEAUTIFUL
45:24 the way Grimaud plays this its just superb
My favorite!
I were a bit scared. I thought it was 1 hour sonata.
was*
That would be cool for sure. xD The longest sonata ever.
But you composed it!!
Please relax. It is 24-minute sonata with 3 different performers
eunsung kwon please relax. it is 70-minute sonata
Happy birthday Beethoven
Your channel is very nice. Obrigado!
1 часть
г.п. 0:01
с.п. 0:49
п.п. 1:06
ГП с речитативом 5:19
2 часть
ГП 7:59
ПП 10:56
3 часть
гп 18:06
пп 18:38
Beautiful. :)
Sensational.
I wish I could play like this!
Great job!
Thank you!
❤გმადლობთ!❤
Wow, I really *love* Korstick's version. Uncompromising definitely is the word and this is how I like Beethoven to be played. His sound can be harsh at times, no problem, this is indeed totally part of the music. The intensity in the passage you mentioned (3:03) is amazing, as well as, let's say, the gorgeous 05:25 motive, almost "hanging in the air" (I don't know if you can say it that way in English).
In comparison, I find Grimaud's version a bit 'turgid'. The 3rd movement displays amazing shifting harmonies as you said, like an object that permanently changes its shape, but as far as the 2nd one is concerned, I usually prefer a more simple playing. In her Brahms' recordings for instance, this problem is way too disturbing for me.
Haven't listened to Lewis' yet.
That's interesting. I really dislike Korstick's version, and like Lewis's the best. :) (I only listened to the last movement and a bit of the first in each of them.) That harshness you mention really puts me off, personally. I couldn't listen to Grimaud's all the way through; sounded like he was in a hurry to get through it and knock off for dinner. Lewis's is a little too gentle for my taste, but the lyricism he brings in the last movement is something I try to bring out myself, albeit with a good deal more "jab" on the sudden fortes.
For me, it's all about contrasts: there are very lyrical sections and very punchy and percussive sections. Every one of these performances struck me as needing more contrast.
@@robertrodes1546 Grimaud is a she (not that it changes anything, just pointing it out)
If you play piano, you’ll eventually hate the dramatic banging you hear Korstick. If it sounds harsh in a recording, it’ll make your ears bleed during a live performance..trust me that’s not how you create tones on a piano. You can play plenty loud without the harsh metallic sounds.
@@charlescxgo7629 it much depends on where were the microphones put on the piano and how good the mixing engineer is.
@Sun Tzu music is subjective, if you play it for entertainment and self enjoyment, there really isn't a right or wrong. However that's a different t story in the professional route. There are historical contexts and standards as well as musical tastes that will be upheld in the professional circle whether you agree with it or not. His style of playing is more suited for late Russian romantics and modern works, but not suited for Beethoven. Have you heard or tried pianofortes of Beethoven's time?There's absolutely no room for this level of muscle work in playing. Perhaps I should have stated this my comment is referring to a professional/concert pianist perspective, not simply my preference or opinion on musical tastes. There is no right or wrong in preferences of course and you are free to firm your own opinion from your own personal tastes.
Comment updated daily.
d for desolate? As if describing the scene after the tempest haft left.
Ruins, shattered remains, resembling desolate desert.
Is this one of Beethoven's unique style? Abrupt tempo and/or dynamic changes.
1:49 My favourite part! Yay!
3:28 Mozart van Beethoven/ Ludwig Amadeus Mozart (BONK
JK I meant Beethoven used Mozart style left hand accompaniment.
3:32 Johann Sebastian Beethoven/ Ludwig van Bach (BONK
JK I meant this part sounded like Bach inventions.
Aha! Submediant major (VI) of d minor!
Excellent introduction (reminiscent of Mvt. 1 exposition I.)
Eye of the storm? Very calm (apart from some m.g. octave tremolos)
Sounds like Fur Elise...
wait, ze zame composer. Ludwig van Beethoven.
???: This movement is Bach style, melody in both hands.
End of development section = Ludwig van Chopin (???
JK, I meant this part closely resembles Chopin's Petit Chien.
End of coda: Ludwig van Czerny (Say what~?
JK, I meant this unison scale is technical like Czerny.
Perfect!🥰😍🤩
1:19 gotta love those parallel fifths
Aren't those parallel fourths?
I think korstick’s playing has to be my favourite. Played exactly as Beethoven would have wanted
How do you know how beethoven wanted it to be played?
^
@@sepantaeskandari5878 well he wrote a lot of clues 🤷♂️
@@sepantaeskandari5878
Well, for one, you can look at how the music is written. Beethoven was *extremely* precise about what kind of dynamics or voicing. A lot of his music has this steady “pulsating” rhythm which indicates steadiness(It’s hard to explain this one, but think of Ravels Le Gibet; the bell drives the music forward)
You can also look at the era which he wrote music in. While he did in fact transcend his era, the fact remains that a lot of cues in his music are taken from the classical era.
Korstick definitely plays it straight, with minimal rubato where it seems necessary. i think arguing that he played it “as intended” could hold some weight
Gracias Genio!!
I hope I can use this link in my blog. This is wonderful peace!
1:04:13 *Me encanta esta parte.*
Te encanta tanto...
Playing the second movement (7:59) is literally hell
Beethoven used Melodic Tools to compose that NO ONE had even invented yet. It is like seeing an alien space craft frighteningly sitting in a field not knowing how it was made or how is flies. Beethoven is just that. Made without previous tools just pure music untouched by human's hands or minds before. He just carved his skyscraper monuments with his bare and scarred ugly hands. His music is a doorway that if you open, you will enter a path that leads to endless infinity and incomprehensible joy and ecstasy!
Eric Zolaski well said
Not just melodic, but harmonic, rhythmic and most importantly structural - his treatment of form is the single greatest achievement in music since Bach's counterpoint and it's significance paved the path to modern 19 and 20c music.
Can you tell me how I can play this? I have no experience with piano, but I'm willing to do every necessary action to play it.
@@jonajager9843 If you are a beginner you have to start with much easier pieces and then gradually build up you piano technique along with your ear and musical understanding. Otherwise it's like trying to comprehend a book by Goethe without reading anything else beforehand and hardly being able to read at all. You'd need a teacher and a couple of years of steady playing before you could tackle a Beethoven sonata of this caliber. But don't get discouraged - there are tons of great music that you'll be able to play in a year if you start right away and there's nothing like playing music so it's absolutely worth the effort.
passionant!
Music has never quite recovered from Beethoven's piano sonatas. Just listened to the Mendelssohn sonata in E and it paled in comparison, it sounded so spineless.
Beethoven's awesome, but there's no reason to put Mendelssohn down, particularly with an early sonata of his that I think is generally agreed not to be one of his greatest. Why not instead look at his op. 13 string quartet or something?
True Breathe of Winter.
The greatest composer.
cough cough Bach COUGH COUGH
@@roberacevedo8232 Bach is nothing beside Beethoven.
@@eduardoguerraavila8329 I love Beethoven, I really do. But you are delusional if you think he beats Bach in anything.
@@roberacevedo8232 even if Bach is more technical, no composer is close to deliver to me what Beethoven gives to my senses and to my brain. No composer has reach to me and have taken to me to higher peaks than Ludwig Van, no matter which sense or metric do you considere.
@@eduardoguerraavila8329 What you are referring to is feeling, and that's ok. Beethoven makes you feel things.
Bach on the other hand is a brain puzzle. Analyzing Bach is basically like analyzing Sudoku. No composer in history was or ever will be more influential in music than Bach. Even if you can't understand why.
But yeah, I would argue Beethoven is a solid second.
This sonata is phenomenal! Best piano sonata ever.
What about Schubert last Sonatas? I cannot decide! ;)
Лучшее исполнение
Lewis's third movement is delicious.
Me gusta la versión de Lewis. Creo que sigue la filosofía musical de Emil Gilels en cuanto a alejarse del exceso de virtuosismo y ofrecer una versión más personal y profunda.
@Ashish Xiangyi Kumar Thank you very much for your latest upload of this really quite wonderful piano sonata. I've noticed that you never seem to upload any of the really great recordings from the previous eras: the likes of the great Schnabel, Solomon, Serkin. Is there a reason for this or do you simply just not like their playing?
There's a couple of reasons, actually (and glad you liked the video!)
1. Everyone's familiar with the old recordings already -- I'd rather let people discover stuff they haven't heard.
2. Many of the old recordings are already on YT.
3. The recording quality is poor on the old recordings, and I am quite unabashed in thinking that that does detract to *at least some* extent from the musical experience.
4. It's not that I think the old greats *aren't* great -- its just that they're often just worshipped in a manner that is all out of proportion to their actual musical abilities. It's a general tendency for new generations to mythologize the old, but whereas in other fields (like sports, for instance) there is some objective way to see improvement in each generation, in the arts this can't be done, and so the result is that people become reluctant to open their mind to new stuff, saying quite meaningless things like "this does not quite reach the spiritual heights of Serkin", or somesuch. For instance, Kempff has many Beethoven recordings that are frankly just OK (such as the recording of the Tempest, actually) alongside some wonderful ones, and Schnabel's technique sometimes *really* lets him down (I get what he's trying to do with the Hammerklavier, but it's just a mess). I think that Korstick, Lewis, Lortie, Levit, Jumppanen, Kovacevich, Bavouzet & co. are easily the equals of the old greats -- they've all got distinct approaches to the sonatas, plus their performances are uniformly excellent and illuminating and technically assured -- and they need all the appreciation they can get.
We live in the best time there's ever been for appreciating classical music -- if only we knew it.
@Ashish Xiangyi Kumar I completely understand your points so please don't think Im criticizing you, just showing another opinion!
1) I agree that some people are familiar with the old recordings and of course I don't have your channel information on your audience, but Im sure more people have heard Barenboim or Lewis' rendition of say the great op101 rather than the wonderful Schnabel or Gilels version just a thought.
2) Fair point
3) the recording quality can be poor but is often no much worse really and I must admit that I actually quite love the sometimes out of tune or fuzzy background. in my opinion it really adds to the drama and mystical nature of the sonata (op101 Schnabel recording in this case). In fact, it is widely regarded that the reason the greatest conductor of all time (for me at least) Furtwangler's sound is so colourful and powerful is quite because of the slightly out of tune orchestra which thus creates a much larger pallet of colours as potential sounds (as orchestra isn't just playing the exact note we get more vibrato and dark sonorities).
4) Don't think that I don't respect your opinion on this one I absolutely do but unfortunately this is the one point where I must fundamentally disagree with you the most. For me, technique is really nothing in terms of achieving 'great' piano playing it is just a TOOL to get there. Yes, Schnabel might have rather bad technique (funnily enough in his prime in the 20s everyone said how he had technique that even rivalled the great Rachmaninoff/also you picked a rather bad example with the Hammerklavier!), but the incredible energy, wonderful phrasing, poetic playing (listen to the opening op109) and just mastery of the piano and its sonorities. Furthermore, I think you might be looking at technique in a very black and white way (no mean for offence) as in only finger strength/eveness/etc. In reality, technique is so much more than that, the sounds you can make on octaves, the phrasing, the legato touch, etc. Anyway, Ive ranted on long enough and I respect what you say. Speak soon
Korstick is easily the equal of the old greats such as Gilels and Richter, especially in terms of his tone - in fact he clearly outshines them in that regard!
I thoroughly agree that listeners should become familiar with more current performances (and better live than recorded), but I hope that they do not totally neglect the classic interpretations; for these are integral to our musical heritage. As to Schnabel, I submit he's worth listening to, at least occasionally, warts and all.
Sincerest thanks for your uploads and commentary.
Thank you very much. As you all know, I am launching a new symphony, and modern music as you know it is going down a pithole
화이팅!!!
The beginning of third movement was played in Total Recall.
In "virtual games",too
My thoughts, stream of consciousness style:
Korstick
1. Little fast but it's brilliant (I wasn't paying the most attention, whoops. If I feel, I'll give this movement another listen.)
2. Does this man know the differences between 3/4 and 4/4, adagio and larghissimo????? Very discombobulated in execution and conception.
3. Fantastic contrast but he is overconfident in his ability to play legato. So dry, when I played it on a speaker near my piano, the sustain pedal stopped working. Fantastic middle section. Coda falls flat.
Grimaud:
1. Phrasing certainly better than Korstick's. Clear execution. I like it. Good middle section and recapitulation. Coda... mmph.
2. Korstick set the bar low, but, even so, this is good. I'd personally use less pedal, but Grimaud pulls it off fantastically. [Quick aside - the "middle" part (around 36:00) is interesting in how some pianists (i.e. Grimaud, myself) have to change the turn rhythms because now there's stuff underneath it.] Coda... again, mmph.
3. Woah! This is an allegretto??? Grimaud tames it in parts, but come on, hun. Al-le-gret-to. Pedal comment from previous mvmt stands. Jealous of that middle section a bit. Fantastic and firey recapitulation. Good coda.
Lewis
1. Out of the gate, I notice a more conservative tempo. It vibes good. Triplets don't sound like a tremolo (looking at you, Korstick.) Sags in a few places though. Second theme is nice. Korstick, unfortunately, had the best entrance at the f# part, but this tempo, again, is Lewis's saving bacon. Section around m125 sags a bit. Arpeggios executed flawlessly. Just lacks fire in general.
2. Coherent, but there's some quiddity in the expression that knocks it off a bit. Very nice cantabile in the triplet section and the following section. The 32nd section is good. I like Lewis's (generally) wetter pedaling.
[I got only one ad in this video and it was between these mvmts. Funny enough, it was, too, in d.]
3. Too slow; rhythmic inconsistencies, which could graciously be considered some form of rubato, are off-putting. I would like the wetter pedal more, but the previous renditions have turned me more towards liking the mvmt slightly drier. Nice key change (before m245.) I miss the franticness of the other two, to be honest. Coda, while slower in keeping with the rest of the mvmt, is pulled off fantastically.
wow
*3rd mvt*
1:06:00 my favourite part
1:06:30 hits different
1:08:05 epic
korstick really loves those bass notes in the first movement
The finale of the Tempest is up there with the variation movement of the op. 109, the first movement of the Appassionata, and the first movement of the op. 110 as my favorite Beethoven sonata movements.
If anyone else has attempted the 3rd movement, you probably know the frustration and what I'm talking about. Jumping off the left pinky at least a fifth every bar, all while trying to maintain the tempo and obey Beethoven's tied offbeat scheme. 😝 Kind of a nightmare, although it becomes rather addicting to play as a result.
Korstick’s thrilling bombastic approach works for the first movement, but I feel that the third should be played more lyrically and flowing, so Lewis captures that for me very well.
18:50 is somehow reminiscing of the first sonata's finale
The 1st movement is scary
Wow
Che bella la tempesta!
0:01 1:10:27
Does anyone else like to play E♮ instead of E♭ in the LH in measure 77 of the mvt. 2 (15:29)? I'm sure there is a theoretical reason why B.'s E♭ is "correct" (mirroring the LH in meas 31, 35, and 73), but I really like the tension/resolution the E♮ creates in the context of the recapitulation.
hm sounds weird
The beginning motive of the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, number 11 is similar to the 3rd movement here. Beethoven studied the WTC as a child.
0:13 sounds like chopin prelude 12
20:54 - 21:06 The chord progression sounds very modern, doesn't it? Also the passage at 23:22
Yes, really
ive noticed that as well
Beethoven just crazy like that 🔥
everything old is new again
Yo he crazy