All credits go to Ashish Xiangyi Kumar's other Waldstein video, I just made the times stamps accurate for this performance. If you have any other observations leave them below and I'll add them. Hopefully this helps someone! Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonate, Op. 53. Dedicated to Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, composed in 1804. MVT I, Allegro con brio EXPOSITION 00:00 - Theme 1 00:34 - Transition 00:52 - Theme 2, Part 1, in E(!) Major. The chorale, one of Beethoven’s typical melodic non-melodies, is built around the 5 descending notes in the RH of Theme 1. [0:04 and similar] 01:20 - Theme 2, Part 2 01:54 - Codetta (Note the “never-ending” modulating section at 1:59) DEVELOPMENT 04:30 - The infinitely modulating section is expanded 04:37 - Theme 1, modulating. Note the prevalence of the 5-descending-note motif 04:56 - LH figuration from the transition joins Theme 1 05:10 - Theme 2, Part 2, modulating 05:55 - The 5-note descending motif appears in the LH, except now it’s shortened to 4 notes. Inversions of it then enter in the RH, then, at 6:10, figuration from the transition which leads to the RECAPITULATION 06:16 - Theme 1 06:34 - The unexpected landing on the Ab signals a little spurt of new material, which leads back into a restatement of the main idea 07:00 - Transition, now in A min 07:19 - Theme 2 Part 1, which when it enters is still not synced-up with Theme 1, as it’s stubbornly in A Major. It takes some time to wander to A min, and then finally lands on the “correct” key: C Major. 07:46 - Theme 2 Part 2, C Major 08:21 - The “Codetta”, with the modulating idea still attached, which leads into what is by all accounts a pretty substantial CODA 08:46 - Theme 1 enters blithely in Bb Major, as if the entire movement is going to repeat itself. In fact this Bb Major section recalls the opening, where the main idea is stated in Bb Major immediately after it’s presented in C Major. 08:50 - Well, now it’s clear this is not a repeat. More modulation and compression 09:00 - A pause on the dominant, which leads to a syncopated RH descent over the pulsating chords of Theme 1. 09:06 - Theme 1’s RH is now in the LH. Eventually it is used sequentially [9:12], and leads into a concerto-like cadenza [9:23]. 09:41 - Theme 2 enters right where you’d expect a final cadence 10:16 - A final statement of Theme 1, leading into the ending cadence MVT II, Introduzione. Adagio molto 10:33 - Prelude 11:45 - Melody 12:43 - Postlude MVT III, Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo 14:14 - A SECTION 15:20 - B SECTION 15:58 - Transition 16:23 - A SECTION 17:29 - C SECTION 18:18 - Transition 18:43 - Syncopated modulations 18:55 - Arpeggiated modulations, with the A theme implied by the LH 19:31 - Eerie circling around the dominant 20:00 - A SECTION 20:32 - B SECTION 21:07 - Transition. More extended dwelling on the dominant 21:40 - A SECTION / CODA 22:09 - Sudden modulating into Ab, with the A theme continuing in the LH 22:31 - The notorious RH octave glissandi 22:49 - Another gorgeous statement of the A theme, which slips into C min at 22:57, then into Ab, then into F min, then lands on an Italian sixth chord, before suspending itself on the dominant 23:18 - A big, chordal statement of the A theme, which leads into the final cadence The Waldstein Sonata is one of Beethoven’s most expansive and uplifting works, but its instant likability sometimes obscures that fact that it’s a deeply restless and innovative work, structurally and texturally extraordinary in ways that sound natural only because the sonata is so well-put together. Take the opening of the first movement. What kind of a sound is this? It’s tense without being dramatic, ambiguous without being vague, motoric and shapeless and aurally without any sense of harmony even though it’s just a C maj chord in root position, of all things. There’s also the tonal restlessness of this work: right after the C maj chord we get a secondary dominant, almost immediately followed by an unprepared shift down to Bb maj. (This is one of those moments that be played either as a funny gesture, or as something more mysterious.) The second theme group (which has a surprising link to the first theme in the form of a 5-note descending motif) is in E major, rather than the more normal G maj/F maj/A min. And the recapitulation is surprisingly playful - there’s tiny dashes of new material, and the second theme group enters in the rather flippant A maj, another “wrong” key. (There’s more, like this little infinitely flexible modulating idea, but that will be singled out below.) The second movement, an extended introduction to the rondo, is one of Beethoven’s moat harmonically deceptive and moving slow movements, and the rondo itself is a blaze of wonder. There’s the A theme, hovering over a haze of blurred harmonies; a B theme which builds the second time it occurs into a huge orchestral peroration; a transitional motif, based on the A theme, which is both joyous and sad and noble at the same time; and an extended coda which is as developmental as it is brilliant. (The mere fact that the last movement is so weighty was pretty novel for the time - Beethoven gradually shifted the heavy lifting from the first to the last movements over his 32 sonatas.)
@@charlesxii5804 Wow is this your first time analysing? I thought it was very well put together, and I love your little note at the end! Do you study music in depth? I definitely wasn't analysing when I was 14 hahaha. You sound very inspiring!
I love how dynamic the piece is. I always say that you can't listen to this sonata and be sad for more than 5 seconds a time, nor be content for more that 5 seconds a time. Whenever I feel sad, I can always listen to this music and be reminded of how temporary emotions are, and that everything will soon be alright again.
The only thing that seems to be eternal is the cycle of rebirth, even the universe seems to have collapsed several times and had several big bangs, it's likely it's not the first time a genius came up with this piece.
So very true! By far one of my favourite composers, I am always happy when practising Beethoven on the piano, no matter how difficult his compositions are. Are you a pianist too?
@@thorsten8790 That's basically the infinite monkey theorem, and the chances are unbelievably low, almost infinitely, barely above zero - essentially only relevant mathematically. Also, the universe is increasingly expanding, which doesn't bode well for the big crunch.
I read that this was the first thing Beethoven wrote after he got his 5th and final piano, the most modern and strong. This piece seems as a celebration of what he was finding the piano now capable of allowing.
@@peterjongsma2754 Except he was never completely deaf Incredibly hard of hearing but not deaf. Not only that but by 1803 he could still hear his piano and orchestral music. By 1812 was when he started pressing his head against the piano cover in order to hear it.
One of the most satisfying accounts of this sonata I've ever heard. Pletnev is one of the greatest artists ever to touch a keyboard. His virtuosity is immense, his control total, his imagination boundless, his versatility awe inspiring, and his sincerity unquestionable.
Yes indeed, the way his floating style almost transcends the overall enigmatic interfused chordal structures, mixed with the ascending scales of the basic form of the piece and the crescendo is most interesting. My favourite bit is definitely 5:50 - 5:53.
The brisk tempo Pletnev takes for the first mvt really allows him to let the calmer phrases breath through rubato, leading to some lovely character changes, and a stark satisfying contrast to the bubbling passagework that surrounds them. Probably the best recording I’ve ever heard tbh.
@@johorn2887 I disagree. Imo he's clearly following the softer dynamics here. You can really hear the contrast of sound/dynamics when he actually brings out those louder dynamics, especially if you pay attention to the timbre of the sound/tone quality. The only reason it sounds kinda 'loud' has to do with how the microphones are set up and any sort of post mixing/processing they do here, if any.
@@ninjaassassin27 Yes, exactly, you can't even spot the extreme difficulty of playing this, I had to look at the score to REALLY see how difficult it is
it is just that one spot (the bars after 7:00 and the same in the exposition) at which many pianists lose the tempo/rhythm/hand alignment so you almost cannot identify the beat anymore. It also happens in the other Waldstein video on this channel
During my trip through Germany I listened to Beethoven and read his biography simultaneously. I couldn't hold back the tears of emotion I felt, knowing that such an incredible musical genius has asked for the misfortune of not being able to admire his own musical work because of his hearing problem, that feeling of sadness covered by a great admiration for all those masterpieces that he wrote and that allows us to enjoy it today at any time and feel that wonderful essence of his music, he was one of the most incredible composers this world has ever known without a doubt. Very good performance by this artist.
Can someone explain to me how the Moonlight, Pathetique, and Appassionata are the gold standards when the Waldstein is out there. This is one of those pieces you listen to and marvel at the fact that a human being actually created this.
Jeff Johnson: True! The same wonder and amazement that I feel every time I listen to those 2 bars equal first and then alternate .... Thank you. Greetings from Italy.
When the world was going insane over the Moonlight sonata, Beethoven said to Czerny that this (Moonlight Sonata) wasn't even one of the best pieces he wrote.
At the third movement, even I have listened to this Sonata many times, I always wonder how far the basic theme can be extended? Beethoven pushes this simple but so clever music theme to the edge. It is like he is obssesed with it and doesn't want the piece to come to an end.
I have had the same thoughts. Beethoven was clearly exercising here his incredible skill for writing variations (also found in Op.34 , Op.35 , Op.129...).
By now, I have heard many performances of the “Waldstein” on You Tube and in concert, and none as MAGNIFICENT as Maestro Pletnev’s ! THIS. IS THE BEST! HE is a GENIUS!
I love how everyone enjoys different parts. If you read through the comments, most people reference completely different times. A great piece through and through. :)
The first live concert I ever attended (Roger Woodward at the Sydney Opera House) I broke into silent tears at the sheer beauty of that theme's emergence at the start of the Rondo.
@Max M I learned this Sonata and performed it a couple of times in college (music conservatory). I always found Beethoven easier after learning and practicing (crazy) Liszt music. Scales are so important, though. You're right.
Haha exactly! By far one of my favourite composers, I am always happy when practising Beethoven on the piano, no matter how difficult his compositions are. Are you a pianist too?
ESPECIALLY the way it just "emerges" from the Adagio. The first time I ever heard it (Roger Woodward performing at the Sydney OPpera Houise, circa 1980) I cried in public.
Yea, especially from Beethoven's work. His works always so vigorously grumpy expressivo. Whenever I'm in bad mood, Beethoven's work always make my mood gone worse >.< XD
You breathe a sigh of relief when you see that the sonata is in C major. You then flick through the score and see pages black with accidentals, and realize that you need a few more years of piano lessons with a few hours of practice every day- scales, arpeggios, chromatic scales to the max!
All of a sudden, piano seems to shine for me, whereas before I didn't care much for them at all There are just so many playful and sparkling performances that just lifts your mood and makes your thoughts dance
J Mouch K1 feels like a sort of folksy but formal dancing, where the liveliness is suppressed by its somewhat slow beat, and the repetitiveness very reminiscent of the repetitiveness of ballroom dancing, going round and round. rather strange, but with a clear pleasant sound
Some of my personal favorite Chopin pieces are his 4 ballades, his baracole, his grande polonaise brillante/andante sospino, fantasy in f minor, and various etudes (the most famous is revolutionary although all of them are good)
Apart from its beauty this piece is also a brilliant prank for pianists. Starts out deceptively easy in C major, second movement is Largo but has 1/32nds, third movement has mostly 1/8ths but is Prestissimo…. Nice one, Ludwig! Imagine someone sight-reading this. “I can play that… Still easy… Sweet Moses are you kidding me??? Ah, finally an easy movement. What do you mean, prestissimo?”
People, please, stop arguing about what is better to drink to this music or if there should be piano or forte on those three notes in x-th minute. It doesn't matter. What matters is if you like and enjoy the music. If you like it with cup of coffee or glass of wine so drink it with it. If you like to listen in your living room or in nature, so listen it there. And focus on the whole piece, not on three notes. There always is and will be not so perfect stroke on some painting, there always is some bigger piece of black pepper in your meal or small cloud on the sky. But if the piece of nature, meal, art brings you a joy and takes you to another world, that counts.
I used to listen to it to fall asleep as a "berceuse" as a child... It brought me peace and nice dreams... To a point that I couldn't go to bed without it...
Presumably, in order to make that decision, you did listen to: Barenboim, Arrau, Jussen, Brendel, Argerich, Kodama, Levit,Lisitsa, Richter, Gilels, Horowitz, Ashkenazy, Kempff, Poon, Lupu, Brautigan, Kraus, Pollini, Kim, Buchbinder, Serkin, Gulda, Roberts, Schiff, Nat, Say, Kissin, Hofmann, Fischer, Giltburg, Zemach, Lim, Freire, Xiaoyu, Li, Guy, Lenner, Bogdanov, Janusevicius, Moisewitz, O'Connor, HERE on TH-cam amongst many others? !!!
He is so amazing!! I love Pletnev. Look at the PERFECT articulation in the first movement and the intensity, the build-ups, the details and little variations in the second theme, etc Incredible performance
As a pianist I imagine how long it took to learn this piece... And I can say this was fantastic performance🎉 I hope a lot of people will find something in this Sonata. I think they will! Of course they will!!!❤
I'm glad to have the opportunity to learn this piece. Currently working on the left hand. With my time working on this, I can honestly say that this is one of the best pieces I have ever played, if not the best. Such a beautiful piece.
Haha I just realized something. At one point, this was probably the popular track to go and hear at a concert, ranked no 1 on Spotify. Great interpretation. My favorite piece I ever played. Worked on for 2 years to perfect.
This was one of My senior recital pieces at TSU..many hours of practice.Thanks Dr Jane Perkyns ,a Doctoral Graduate of Juilliard.She was an awesome piano professor.
I’ve never had an out-of-body experience. But when I try to imagine what it would be like, I think of the Rondo of the Waldstein. Losing your sense of self, becoming one with the universe. Soaring through the sky, through space . . . transcendent exhilaration. “Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth . . .” This music seems to me on another level of existence.
Right, I've decided to take over this challenge. The fact that people say this is harder than it sounds, although this already sounds hard, is frightening.
I am not a musician, or anything but it is said that the devil was the angel of music and it is used by him to trick souls but ...there are some pieces who really give you a taste of heaven, a State of bliss than cannot be replicated ...
I've heard other renditions of this piece but this one is my favorite so far. I like that tempo is maintained and doesn't drop off like in other renditions. Especially in the final movement, at 20:41 elapsed time.
The dexterity and finger independence and control required to play the rondo is almost beyond comprehension. Truly a piece that separates the merely great from the spectacular.
This shouldn’t even have a thumbs down option on this video. I guess there are 357 deaf people, not that it’s a negative thing. I would be mad if I couldn’t hear this masterpiece too.
@@brotherhood7596 But he was good enough to be able to read the notes and hear them in his head, or am I just pulling that out of my ass? Edit: serious question realised it didn't really come out that way.
I gave a thumb down, because I hate Beethoven. You know, I have no choice and I have to play this at school (I’m in music school), but I truly hate that piece. You don’t even know how frustrating it is to hate it while everyone around loves it. For me it’s boring, even worse than boring. And no, it’s not a joke.
Wow, I just realized something interesting - if you listen closely to the top notes, you can hear at 15:21 - 15:28 the main theme of Andante Favori, which was supposed to be the second movement of the Waldstein!
Thank you for posting this elegant version from Mikhail Pletnev, with the score. One of the sunniest pieces in Western Music, a supreme statement of joy from the mind of this complicated genius.
I'm browsing through classical piano content and it's just super exciting to see the difference in style, feeling, chord progressions, etc. between different composers. I went from Chopin, to Mozart and Beethoven, and now I have this feeling that Chopin was greatly inspired by those two guys. Awesome stuff.
Beethoven is more than genius. If somebody told you that he loves classical music but he doesn't like Beethoven, you'd know he never listened to classical music.
All credits go to Ashish Xiangyi Kumar's other Waldstein video, I just made the times stamps accurate for this performance. If you have any other observations leave them below and I'll add them. Hopefully this helps someone!
Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonate, Op. 53. Dedicated to Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, composed in 1804.
MVT I, Allegro con brio
EXPOSITION
00:00 - Theme 1
00:34 - Transition
00:52 - Theme 2, Part 1, in E(!) Major. The chorale, one of Beethoven’s typical melodic non-melodies, is built around the 5 descending notes in the RH of Theme 1. [0:04 and similar]
01:20 - Theme 2, Part 2
01:54 - Codetta (Note the “never-ending” modulating section at 1:59)
DEVELOPMENT
04:30 - The infinitely modulating section is expanded
04:37 - Theme 1, modulating. Note the prevalence of the 5-descending-note motif
04:56 - LH figuration from the transition joins Theme 1
05:10 - Theme 2, Part 2, modulating
05:55 - The 5-note descending motif appears in the LH, except now it’s shortened to 4 notes. Inversions of it then enter in the RH, then, at 6:10, figuration from the transition which leads to the
RECAPITULATION
06:16 - Theme 1
06:34 - The unexpected landing on the Ab signals a little spurt of new material, which leads back into a restatement of the main idea
07:00 - Transition, now in A min
07:19 - Theme 2 Part 1, which when it enters is still not synced-up with Theme 1, as it’s stubbornly in A Major. It takes some time to wander to A min, and then finally lands on the “correct” key: C Major.
07:46 - Theme 2 Part 2, C Major
08:21 - The “Codetta”, with the modulating idea still attached, which leads into what is by all accounts a pretty substantial
CODA
08:46 - Theme 1 enters blithely in Bb Major, as if the entire movement is going to repeat itself. In fact this Bb Major section recalls the opening, where the main idea is stated in Bb Major immediately after it’s presented in C Major.
08:50 - Well, now it’s clear this is not a repeat. More modulation and compression
09:00 - A pause on the dominant, which leads to a syncopated RH descent over the pulsating chords of Theme 1.
09:06 - Theme 1’s RH is now in the LH. Eventually it is used sequentially [9:12], and leads into a concerto-like cadenza [9:23].
09:41 - Theme 2 enters right where you’d expect a final cadence
10:16 - A final statement of Theme 1, leading into the ending cadence
MVT II, Introduzione. Adagio molto
10:33 - Prelude
11:45 - Melody
12:43 - Postlude
MVT III, Rondo. Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo
14:14 - A SECTION
15:20 - B SECTION
15:58 - Transition
16:23 - A SECTION
17:29 - C SECTION
18:18 - Transition
18:43 - Syncopated modulations
18:55 - Arpeggiated modulations, with the A theme implied by the LH
19:31 - Eerie circling around the dominant
20:00 - A SECTION
20:32 - B SECTION
21:07 - Transition. More extended dwelling on the dominant
21:40 - A SECTION / CODA
22:09 - Sudden modulating into Ab, with the A theme continuing in the LH
22:31 - The notorious RH octave glissandi
22:49 - Another gorgeous statement of the A theme, which slips into C min at 22:57, then into Ab, then into F min, then lands on an Italian sixth chord, before suspending itself on the dominant
23:18 - A big, chordal statement of the A theme, which leads into the final cadence
The Waldstein Sonata is one of Beethoven’s most expansive and uplifting works, but its instant likability sometimes obscures that fact that it’s a deeply restless and innovative work, structurally and texturally extraordinary in ways that sound natural only because the sonata is so well-put together.
Take the opening of the first movement. What kind of a sound is this? It’s tense without being dramatic, ambiguous without being vague, motoric and shapeless and aurally without any sense of harmony even though it’s just a C maj chord in root position, of all things. There’s also the tonal restlessness of this work: right after the C maj chord we get a secondary dominant, almost immediately followed by an unprepared shift down to Bb maj. (This is one of those moments that be played either as a funny gesture, or as something more mysterious.) The second theme group (which has a surprising link to the first theme in the form of a 5-note descending motif) is in E major, rather than the more normal G maj/F maj/A min. And the recapitulation is surprisingly playful - there’s tiny dashes of new material, and the second theme group enters in the rather flippant A maj, another “wrong” key. (There’s more, like this little infinitely flexible modulating idea, but that will be singled out below.)
The second movement, an extended introduction to the rondo, is one of Beethoven’s moat harmonically deceptive and moving slow movements, and the rondo itself is a blaze of wonder. There’s the A theme, hovering over a haze of blurred harmonies; a B theme which builds the second time it occurs into a huge orchestral peroration; a transitional motif, based on the A theme, which is both joyous and sad and noble at the same time; and an extended coda which is as developmental as it is brilliant. (The mere fact that the last movement is so weighty was pretty novel for the time - Beethoven gradually shifted the heavy lifting from the first to the last movements over his 32 sonatas.)
@@SallesMusic I actually liked doing it because I got to effectively analyze the work, and I've never done that before
I'm a 13 year old inspiring pianist, any tips?
@@cratowitdabag I'm 14 lol
@@cratowitdabag "aspiring" We'd have to here you to decide whether you are inspiring!
@@charlesxii5804 Wow is this your first time analysing? I thought it was very well put together, and I love your little note at the end! Do you study music in depth? I definitely wasn't analysing when I was 14 hahaha. You sound very inspiring!
One of the finest examples of 'is a lot more difficult than it sounds despite the fact that it already sounds difficult'
exactly, i love the magical sound 1:24 has, places like these show beethoven's genius
Yea its harder than moonlight sonata
@@TheMoon0946 defenitely
@@TheMoon0946 moonlight isn't hard
@@theowinckel Still challenging
The transition from the second movement to the third has to be one of the most magical moments in all of music.
Yea where it kinda breaks if you know what I mean
I love how dynamic the piece is. I always say that you can't listen to this sonata and be sad for more than 5 seconds a time, nor be content for more that 5 seconds a time. Whenever I feel sad, I can always listen to this music and be reminded of how temporary emotions are, and that everything will soon be alright again.
I can fail my education, bad things can happen, but this music will always exist.
Until the human race ends, and all music, art, and technical achievements are wiped away like they never existed.
@@maulcs So enjoy it at more as you can ;-D
The only thing that seems to be eternal is the cycle of rebirth, even the universe seems to have collapsed several times and had several big bangs, it's likely it's not the first time a genius came up with this piece.
So very true! By far one of my favourite composers, I am always happy when practising Beethoven on the piano, no matter how difficult his compositions are. Are you a pianist too?
@@thorsten8790 That's basically the infinite monkey theorem, and the chances are unbelievably low, almost infinitely, barely above zero - essentially only relevant mathematically. Also, the universe is increasingly expanding, which doesn't bode well for the big crunch.
I read that this was the first thing Beethoven wrote after he got his 5th and final piano, the most modern and strong. This piece seems as a celebration of what he was finding the piano now capable of allowing.
Eric Bell now thats interesting, and sound logic, thanks!
But by then he was deaf.
So what difference does it make?
Beethoven broke multiple strings in his pianos trying to hear the music.
@@peterjongsma2754 Except he was never completely deaf
Incredibly hard of hearing but not deaf. Not only that but by 1803 he could still hear his piano and orchestral music. By 1812 was when he started pressing his head against the piano cover in order to hear it.
I don't think so. I believe that was for his hammerklavier sonata?
i thought he tested the true ranges of his pianos with the apassionata?
People say "no human being could have written this", but I prefer "only a human being could have written this"
One of the most satisfying accounts of this sonata I've ever heard. Pletnev is one of the greatest artists ever to touch a keyboard. His virtuosity is immense, his control total, his imagination boundless, his versatility awe inspiring, and his sincerity unquestionable.
Hyramess Hiramess I like it... don't know what all the complaints are about...?
me too...
+MrLisztian me 2 1/2
Couldnt agree more. Pletnev and brendal will always be my favorite
Yes indeed, the way his floating style almost transcends the overall enigmatic interfused chordal structures, mixed with the ascending scales of the basic form of the piece and the crescendo is most interesting. My favourite bit is definitely 5:50 - 5:53.
The only thing holding TH-cam together is the recent tsunami of quality and quantity in classical music. Thank you very very much.
YOU WANT MORE STACCATO?!
Ludwig Van Beethoven That's creepy
I thought you couldn’t hear😂 yes we want more pls add more...
Oh...nvm.
He can't that's why hes shouting at us
No, daddy stop, please stop AHH.
No!!!!!😂😫
"Waldstein" is a piece of music that every human being should listen to at least once. A "Bucket List" essential.
Leigh Brandt Liszt calls it the Bucket Liszt
Leigh Brandt. Yes indeed. This, and Frank Zappa's 'Inca Roads'.
And Rhapsody in Blue
Symphony no 9
Borodin's Quartet no. 1 in A major, and his Scherzo in D major for String Quartet (sketch for the scherzo of the unfinished Third Symphony).
The brisk tempo Pletnev takes for the first mvt really allows him to let the calmer phrases breath through rubato, leading to some lovely character changes, and a stark satisfying contrast to the bubbling passagework that surrounds them. Probably the best recording I’ve ever heard tbh.
Man seeing you comment on classical music gives me joy
Completely agree
Its Erik
He doesnt play it pp though at the start or anywhere the composer has written it on the first 2 pages...
@@johorn2887 I disagree. Imo he's clearly following the softer dynamics here. You can really hear the contrast of sound/dynamics when he actually brings out those louder dynamics, especially if you pay attention to the timbre of the sound/tone quality. The only reason it sounds kinda 'loud' has to do with how the microphones are set up and any sort of post mixing/processing they do here, if any.
His technical proficiency is astounding.
To him, I doubt it even seems like 'technique'. It's all music.
I don't know about you, but I followed the score as I listened. I did not hear a single dropped note. Amazing.
@@ninjaassassin27 Yes, exactly, you can't even spot the extreme difficulty of playing this, I had to look at the score to REALLY see how difficult it is
it is just that one spot (the bars after 7:00 and the same in the exposition) at which many pianists lose the tempo/rhythm/hand alignment so you almost cannot identify the beat anymore. It also happens in the other Waldstein video on this channel
During my trip through Germany I listened to Beethoven and read his biography simultaneously. I couldn't hold back the tears of emotion I felt, knowing that such an incredible musical genius has asked for the misfortune of not being able to admire his own musical work because of his hearing problem, that feeling of sadness covered by a great admiration for all those masterpieces that he wrote and that allows us to enjoy it today at any time and feel that wonderful essence of his music, he was one of the most incredible composers this world has ever known without a doubt.
Very good performance by this artist.
Hanon made me hate the scales and arppegios
while Beethoven made me fall in love with them.
Same goes for Czerny and Mozart I think. ; )
Liszt makes me hate Chopin while Mozart makes me hate Beethoven
@@sunsun4724 Same
@@sunsun4724 *WHAT?!?!?! I AM GREATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
@@sunsun4724 Mozart makes me hate Mozart
Can someone explain to me how the Moonlight, Pathetique, and Appassionata are the gold standards when the Waldstein is out there. This is one of those pieces you listen to and marvel at the fact that a human being actually created this.
Jeff Johnson:
True!
The same wonder and amazement that I feel every time I listen to those 2 bars equal first and then alternate ....
Thank you.
Greetings from Italy.
Idk, I would include waldstein, hammerklavier and sonata 32 in the gold standard
When the world was going insane over the Moonlight sonata, Beethoven said to Czerny that this (Moonlight Sonata) wasn't even one of the best pieces he wrote.
@@XenophonSoulis He said, "Everyone's talking about the c# minor sonata. Surely I've written better things."
@@jakes3799 Well, I didn't remember the exact expression. Thanks.
At the third movement, even I have listened to this Sonata many times, I always wonder how far the basic theme can be extended? Beethoven pushes this simple but so clever music theme to the edge. It is like he is obssesed with it and doesn't want the piece to come to an end.
Μενελαος Πειστικος He was very inteligent
Good observation, Menelaus. I don't want it to end, either!
I have had the same thoughts. Beethoven was clearly exercising here his incredible skill for writing variations (also found in Op.34 , Op.35 , Op.129...).
He was very inteligent and sensitive
Thanks
20:35 - 21:07 I have no words to describe it. Just incredible.
By now, I have heard many performances of the “Waldstein” on You Tube and in concert, and none as MAGNIFICENT as Maestro Pletnev’s ! THIS. IS THE BEST! HE is a GENIUS!
That part at 18:56... those chromatic-ish arppegios! Those are so visionnary and daring for that era! Love it
They almost sound impressionistic!
此のソナタは第3楽章の色彩の溢れる場面揃いなのが最高です。
途中で同主調(哀しいハ短調)になる場面しかり、その後原調ハ長調に戻り雄々しく歌う場面しかり、圧巻は
最後のクライマックス、プレスティッシモになる場面、これぞベートーヴェンの大ソナタと言わんばかりの曲ですね。
I love how everyone enjoys different parts. If you read through the comments, most people reference completely different times. A great piece through and through. :)
Who else finds that the Rondo is especially beautiful!?!?
One of the most beautiful melodies composed in the classical period
Absolutely!
The first live concert I ever attended (Roger Woodward at the Sydney Opera House) I broke into silent tears at the sheer beauty of that theme's emergence at the start of the Rondo.
Can’t get the rondo out of my head
One of Beethoven's most unique pieces. My favorite piano sonata by him.
Demonstrates the importance of practicing scales and arpeggios!
+RMLectronics East Yorks And hand crossings! The Rondo had insane hand crossings!
@Max M I learned this Sonata and performed it a couple of times in college (music conservatory). I always found Beethoven easier after learning and practicing (crazy) Liszt music. Scales are so important, though. You're right.
Haha exactly! By far one of my favourite composers, I am always happy when practising Beethoven on the piano, no matter how difficult his compositions are. Are you a pianist too?
Max M You did this for ARCT? Must have been one of the hard ones. This is now one of the LRCM syllabus songs.
@@FurbyCraftYT Songs have words. This is a piece of music.
The 3rd movement is the most beautiful 'sunshine' i have ever heard so far.
*_*
*sunrise
@@Pakkens_Backyard lovely
ESPECIALLY the way it just "emerges" from the Adagio. The first time I ever heard it (Roger Woodward performing at the Sydney OPpera Houise, circa 1980) I cried in public.
Try Chopin etude 'sunshine'.
Yea, especially from Beethoven's work.
His works always so vigorously grumpy expressivo.
Whenever I'm in bad mood, Beethoven's work always make my mood gone worse >.< XD
You breathe a sigh of relief when you see that the sonata is in C major. You then flick through the score and see pages black with accidentals, and realize that you need a few more years of piano lessons with a few hours of practice every day- scales, arpeggios, chromatic scales to the max!
a few hours is not enough. 40 hours a day will do.
This piece gives more courage for me to practice for my examination.
All of a sudden, piano seems to shine for me, whereas before I didn't care much for them at all There are just so many playful and sparkling performances that just lifts your mood and makes your thoughts dance
You need to listen to some Scarlatti. "Fireworks on Piano" Try K1 for starters.
J Mouch
K1 feels like a sort of folksy but formal dancing, where the liveliness is suppressed by its somewhat slow beat, and the repetitiveness very reminiscent of the repetitiveness of ballroom dancing, going round and round. rather strange, but with a clear pleasant sound
*****
do you have some favorites of chopins? i know there are a few i adore, but i can never keep track of the names of these things
Some of my personal favorite Chopin pieces are his 4 ballades, his baracole, his grande polonaise brillante/andante sospino, fantasy in f minor, and various etudes (the most famous is revolutionary although all of them are good)
also I highly recommend in sospiro by Liszt
The 3rd movement is so special, so refreshing, full of energy. Superb!
So uplifting
Apart from its beauty this piece is also a brilliant prank for pianists. Starts out deceptively easy in C major, second movement is Largo but has 1/32nds, third movement has mostly 1/8ths but is Prestissimo…. Nice one, Ludwig!
Imagine someone sight-reading this. “I can play that… Still easy… Sweet Moses are you kidding me??? Ah, finally an easy movement. What do you mean, prestissimo?”
This piece being written in c major is in itself a difficulty(to some people atleast)
@@Trooman20 I believe Chopin once said that C major is the hardest key to play, due to the lack of black keys for smooth finger movements
just doesn't get old. I can listen to this for eternity
Oh man, the sudden modulation into Ab Major at 22:09 is gorgeous.
He does that. He will go from stormy mood to lovely mood in the blink of an eye
Für mich ist das Rockmusik, über hundert Jahre vor der Erfindung der Rockmusik.
No one who dislikes this video has any conception of not only musical, but intellectual genius.
What a masterpiece! Truly Beethoven’s gift to humanity.
When you've had one of those days and you're surrounded by idiots and chaos; home, tea, the Waldstein and everything slots into place. Perfect.
Agreed
+pickledellies Exactly!
Perfect indeed
Coffe for me, but still accurated
✔
The whole piece is unbelievable but the Rondo part ... it's miraculous !!!
For me the most beautiful ever composed. It took me 6 years practice on the grand piano to be able to play it.....and never without goosebumps.
People, please, stop arguing about what is better to drink to this music or if there should be piano or forte on those three notes in x-th minute. It doesn't matter. What matters is if you like and enjoy the music. If you like it with cup of coffee or glass of wine so drink it with it. If you like to listen in your living room or in nature, so listen it there. And focus on the whole piece, not on three notes. There always is and will be not so perfect stroke on some painting, there always is some bigger piece of black pepper in your meal or small cloud on the sky. But if the piece of nature, meal, art brings you a joy and takes you to another world, that counts.
I used to listen to it to fall asleep as a "berceuse" as a child... It brought me peace and nice dreams... To a point that I couldn't go to bed without it...
Happy 250th birthday Beethoven! This sonata has always left a big impression on me.
best Waldstein recording/interpretation i have ever listened to. depicts in a full extent Beethoven's sharpness and wrath
If you have a bad day listen to this recording. Suddenly, life is sweet again.
@@likhochokri6849 Yes. Indeed.Imagine receiving a gift like this!
No you are lie...I always bad day a long time...
@@FinalFantasyGamePlay2023 ?
This is the perfect music to listen to when you wake up in the morning. The perfect way to begin your day is with Beethoven
I must say, Pletnev's is the best of all Waldstein recordings.
Have you heard Gilel's? I think it is better.😊
I love Brandel's
6:14
Presumably, in order to make that decision, you did listen to:
Barenboim, Arrau, Jussen, Brendel, Argerich, Kodama, Levit,Lisitsa, Richter, Gilels, Horowitz, Ashkenazy, Kempff, Poon, Lupu, Brautigan, Kraus, Pollini, Kim, Buchbinder, Serkin, Gulda, Roberts, Schiff, Nat, Say, Kissin, Hofmann, Fischer, Giltburg, Zemach, Lim, Freire, Xiaoyu, Li, Guy, Lenner, Bogdanov, Janusevicius, Moisewitz, O'Connor, HERE on TH-cam amongst many others? !!!
@@jonathankuo4774 agree nothing compares to Gilels
Pristine melodies, clear voicing, carefully crafted phrasing. Best interpretation by a long shot.
What about Kempff, Gulda, Buchbinder etc. ?
And yet morons still think I can’t write good melodies.
He is so amazing!! I love Pletnev. Look at the PERFECT articulation in the first movement and the intensity, the build-ups, the details and little variations in the second theme, etc
Incredible performance
Hands down to the best version of this sonata on youtube
This and some morning coffee.
What else could you possibly need?
Ronny Swift yes
With exactly 60 coffee beans.
I like wodka.
Ludwig van Beethoven You're crazy man
I absolutely love how he references the first movement in the third at 19:15 :)
Yess
What part of the first mvt does he reference?
@@potatopotato0715 0:13 the sixteenth notes
Beethoven finalized the classic and founded the romantic music. We should never forget this. This piece is the embodiment of this
1 часть
ГП 0:01
ПП 0:53
ЗП 1:54
2 часть
Начало 10:34
3 часть
Рефрен 14:14
1й эпизод 15:20
2й эпизод 17:30
В рай без очереди❤
1 ч :
0:01 ГП
0:20 связка
0:53 ПП
4:30 разработка
7:50 кода
2 ч :
10:34 начало
3 ч :
14:14 рефрен
15:20 1 эпизод
17:30 2 эпизод
My God. That is stunningly melodic... Gorgeous Beethoven.
Every human being should listen this. Incredible!
The if the finest rendition I have heard of this piece in years! He does everything on the page, yet brings own expressiveness into the work
It is said that Beethoven’s first thought when he sat down at the piano to compose was “I absolutely must make this hard as hell to play!”
0:00 1
10:34 2
14:16 3
This has Pletnev's signature poetic sound all throughout. What a PLEASURE to listen to!
Man, Beethoven really was a genius.
This is beyond sublime... each and every second of this sonata is pure gold
I love the intro part. The harmony is so “contemporary” almost. I just like, love it.
As a pianist I imagine how long it took to learn this piece... And I can say this was fantastic performance🎉 I hope a lot of people will find something in this Sonata. I think they will! Of course they will!!!❤
Wonderfully played.
In particular, 18:55 left me utterly spellbound
Hard to believe the man was this amazingly talented and gifted.
!!!
which one? pletnev or beethoven?
Yes.. such a cheap bastard, he wouldn’t share his talent with us.
@@dawlims1334 both
The way he explores the E major tonality between 0:53 and the final cadence at 1:54 is just so beautiful and virtuosic at the same time
That repeating b note at 1:23 is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.
It's like a heartbeat of joy.
It never fails to make me tear up, it's just too beautiful.
The section between 1:20 and 1:30 is one of my all-time favorite 10-second sections of classical music
Pletnev incroyable !
Quelle précision et quel éventail de dynamique !!!
Pletnev gives full splendour to the musical context.
I'm glad to have the opportunity to learn this piece. Currently working on the left hand. With my time working on this, I can honestly say that this is one of the best pieces I have ever played, if not the best. Such a beautiful piece.
One of my favorite's of Beethoven's sonatas, definitely on my bucket list of pieces I hope to eventually play.
Beethoven took me to another world by listening to this piece
I really LOVE this performance...
Dedicated to his close friend and patron Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, from Vienna. LOVE the Viennese!!!
Thanks, MrLisztian ...
SUCH a wonderful work... I'm in the process of recording it myself.... BIG task...
+raymond ferland Hope you're doing okay dear Raymond....
MrLisztian What about the Kiko?
Haha I just realized something. At one point, this was probably the popular track to go and hear at a concert, ranked no 1 on Spotify. Great interpretation. My favorite piece I ever played. Worked on for 2 years to perfect.
Thank God for the music of Beethoven wonderful technique of this great pianist , certainly a great intéprete.
This was one of My senior recital pieces at TSU..many hours of practice.Thanks Dr Jane Perkyns ,a Doctoral Graduate of Juilliard.She was an awesome piano professor.
There's something truly magical about this entire piece, I love it so much
Some of the most wonderful music ever written. Beautifully performed, too.
I’ve never had an out-of-body experience. But when I try to imagine what it would be like, I think of the Rondo of the Waldstein. Losing your sense of self, becoming one with the universe. Soaring through the sky, through space . . . transcendent exhilaration. “Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth . . .” This music seems to me on another level of existence.
Try beach boys s "i Can hear music"
Right, I've decided to take over this challenge. The fact that people say this is harder than it sounds, although this already sounds hard, is frightening.
This blows my mind every time I listen. This piece deserves this performance.
I am not a musician, or anything but it is said that the devil was the angel of music and it is used by him to trick souls but ...there are some pieces who really give you a taste of heaven, a State of bliss than cannot be replicated ...
I've heard other renditions of this piece but this one is my favorite so far. I like that tempo is maintained and doesn't drop off like in other renditions. Especially in the final movement, at 20:41 elapsed time.
I just keep listening to this over and over again. It's astonishing.
The best of composers. What passion in this music.
It feels so light, definitely a piece I would listen to in the morning.
The dexterity and finger independence and control required to play the rondo is almost beyond comprehension. Truly a piece that separates the merely great from the spectacular.
This shouldn’t even have a thumbs down option on this video. I guess there are 357 deaf people, not that it’s a negative thing. I would be mad if I couldn’t hear this masterpiece too.
beethoven disliked?
Remember, Beethoven was deaf
@@brotherhood7596 But he was good enough to be able to read the notes and hear them in his head, or am I just pulling that out of my ass?
Edit: serious question realised it didn't really come out that way.
@@ToastenButter It is also a possible explanation, but just the mere fact that he could write and "imagine" music without his ears was remarkable
I gave a thumb down, because I hate Beethoven. You know, I have no choice and I have to play this at school (I’m in music school), but I truly hate that piece. You don’t even know how frustrating it is to hate it while everyone around loves it. For me it’s boring, even worse than boring. And no, it’s not a joke.
This piece is really what allowed me to play the piano much more seriously! Beautiful interpretation!
17:30~18:18 I can't get enough of it!
Most Beethoven sounding part of the piece
Me too.
Pletev’s interpretation is absolutely stellar. This really lifts you up 😊
Wow, I just realized something interesting - if you listen closely to the top notes, you can hear at 15:21 - 15:28 the main theme of Andante Favori, which was supposed to be the second movement of the Waldstein!
Around 18-19 you also hear a certain melody from 7th symphony 2nd movement.
@@erinq2706I don't hear it... You mean the first theme or the second theme from the symphony?
That chord progression at measure 34 is so beautiful!
Thank you for posting this elegant version from Mikhail Pletnev, with the score. One of the sunniest pieces in Western Music, a supreme statement of joy from the mind of this complicated genius.
That was the BEST music I have EVER HEARD!!!!!!!!!!!
Proper "knock-your-socks-off" music. And that's my reaction today - imagine the effect this had on people hearing it for the first time!
Simply one of the best pieces of music ever written
I'm browsing through classical piano content and it's just super exciting to see the difference in style, feeling, chord progressions, etc. between different composers. I went from Chopin, to Mozart and Beethoven, and now I have this feeling that Chopin was greatly inspired by those two guys. Awesome stuff.
Beethoven is more than genius. If somebody told you that he loves classical music but he doesn't like Beethoven, you'd know he never listened to classical music.
sam wang:
giusta osservazione!
Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Faure, Palestrina, Pergolesi, Rachmaninoff, ecc.... parlano direttamente all'anima.
Saluti dall'Italia.
Nah, Tchaikovsky didn't like Beethoven. Even if the music is divinely crafted it’s just music, it’s a matter of taste after all.
This is my absolute favorite Beethoven sonata. It's nice to have it paired with the sheet music.
The Rondo never fails to make me verklempt. So beautiful.
Agreed, it is not a good idea to do any Klempner work while listening to this. You then will really get fully klampt up.
I learned a new word from you and am very grateful for it!