Beethoven Sonata Op 49 no 2 /Bach Goldberg Aria

[lani]

My daughter is 11 and has been playing for five years.  She would like to play a sonata (she has played quite a few sonatinas-Clementi, Beethoven) and wants to play something longer and more challenging.  Has completed Moart's Turkish Rondo, Chopin Waltzes (A and B minor), Bach Preludes 1 and 23 from WTC, Beethoven Sonatina G, CPE Bach Solfeggio and Czerny Velocity pieces.  Any suggestions or comments re: difficulty/complexity on this piece?  Another student her age recently completed working on this.  Her instructor is open to her learning it.  Her instructor considers her at high intermediate entering advanced level.  Also, she would like to begin competing and is being asked to do the two preludes above for the local Jr. Bach Festival.  This is her first competition.  Will these pieces be appropriate for competition?  She has been practicing them for almost 5 months and is getting almost bored with them-competition is in one month, so there is no time really for her to learn a new Bach piece.  We could wait until next year, so perhaps you all could suggest some other pieces for her to select for next year's competition that might be more challenging. She is very picky about the pieces she enjoys playing but liked these two preludes the best from the WTC.  She loves the aria from the Goldberg Variations-would that be too difficult ?  Thanks!

[steveolongfingers]

Im going to sugest:

Beethoven:
Sonata in G major Op 49 1
Sonata in G minor Op 49 2
or maybe the 2nd movement of Sonata 8 op 13, the 1st and the 3nd my be too hard for her

Mozarts sonata "facile" in C major is about those levels as well

If those are too tough, then you are out of luck cause thats about as easy as piano sonatas get.  
Another thing that is rather important, how big are your childs hands?  

[bernhard]

Easy sonatas

The three easiest Beethoven sonatas are Op. 49 no. 2, Op. 49 no. 1 and Op. 79. If she can manage 49/2, she will probably be able to manage 49/1 (slightly more difficult) and 79 (again slightly more difficult and longer). Both 49/1 and 79 are far superior musically than 49/2, which is really something Beethoven probably wrote as an exercise for a pupil. (It was published without his knowledge by his brother, and Beethoven fumed for a while about it – incidentally, the menuet theme had already been published as part of the septet in Eflat). I suggest she hears the three of them (there are countless recordings of it) so she can choose the one that she likes the best (49/1 has a most appealing rondo)

Haydn also has a number of sonatas at her level (most of a similar style to 49/2). John McCabe has recorded all of them for Decca, and so has Jeno Jando for Naxos (great value!): Hob XVI/8 in G major; Hob XVI/7 in C major; Hob XVI/9 in F major; Hob XVI/G1 in G major; Hob XVI/11 in G major; Hob XVI/10 in C major; Hob XVI/D1 in D major; Hob XVI/4(5) in D major; Hob XVI/1 in C major; Hob XVI/3 in C major; Hob XVI/13 in D major are all delightful, and all equal or below grade 5 ABRSM (I have highlighted my personal favourites).

Mozart’s three easiest sonatas are in order of difficulty: K 545 (around grade 5/6 ABRSM) in C major, K 282 in Eb major and K 283 in G major. If she already plays the Turkish rondo, she might want to go ahead and learn the other movements of K 331, but they are more difficult than the rondo, and more difficult than the other three sonatas suggested here. (Several recordings, I like Mitsuko Uchida and Andras Schiff)

Scarlatti composed almost 600 sonatas encompassing all levels of difficulty. They are all in one single movement and much shorter than what we usually understand by the term sonata. Two very beautiful and lyrical ones that are around grade 5 ABRSM are K69 in F minor and K 213 in D minor (they sound much more difficult than they are). (several recordings most notably Mikhail Pletnev – Naxos is recording the full set).

Two obscure composers, Christian Latrobe (3 sonatas op. 3) and Fanciszek Lessel (3 sonatas op. 2) are also around grade 5/6 and the style is similar to Haydn. I know of no recordings, and would be interested to be informed.

I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[lani]

Thanks for both replies above.  Any suggestions of CD's for the Beethoven Sonata( 1 and 2) above for her to listen to? Also, is the Goldberg aria /first variation too difficult for her level?  Regards, Lani

[bernhard]

 Any suggestions of CD's for the Beethoven Sonata( 1 and 2)?  Regards, Lani

Op. 49/1 and 49/2 are the easiest sonatas. As a consequence most pianists will not record them unless they are recording the complete cycle of 32 sonatas. So I am afraid you will have to get the full set. Several pianists have recorded the full set. The cheapest ones are:

Jeno Jandos for Naxos (10 CDs - you may be able to buy just the CD with 49/1 and 49/2)

Bernard Roberts for Nimbus.

My personal favourites are:

Wilhelm Kempf for DG (8 CDs)
Claudio Arrau for Phillips (11 CDs)
Alfred Brendel for Phillips (11 CDs)
Arthur Schnabel for EMI (8 CDs)

There have been two critically acclaimed releases recently - but I have not heard them:

Richard Goode
Stephan Kovacevich (someone in this forum was less than complimentary about this one).

And there are more!

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

P.S. The aria from the Goldberg, may be a bit more difficult (not much more), but if she likes it, go for it! Her motivation will conquer the difficulties. (There is a video of Andras Schiff playing them, and also one of Rosalyn Tureck  - my favorite Bach interpreter)