Beethoven op. 111 first mvt.

[pianowolfi]

I have thought for hours now if i should really post this. Now i'll do it. I recorded that two years ago in an empty hall (hence the massive reverb) on a Steinway B grand. It was a dress rehearsal (though without public) for a solo piano evening concert. Now I'm about to brush this sonata up and would appreciate your comments. 

[quantum]

If there was a general comment I had to make it would be to make the most of sections where insistent pulse of 16th notes is not present.  Much of this movement has an ever present drive to move forward, and these little sections are like breathers, a break of fresh air in the country.  There is no need to rush through them, take your time and be poetic with the music. 

Some specifics:

Opening 4 bars: I like to hear some breath marks here.  For example the end of bar 2 before the pickup Ab.  The division of phrasing comes across as somewhat ambiguous. 

Bar 11 & 13: The RH pickup of G could be given a bit more, so it sounds like part of the phrase to the following 3 chords. 

Bar 54-55: I'd like to hear a difference between the resolutions.  The second one is Adagio, the first is not. 

Bar 69-72: Watch counting here.  The D/F# chord comes a beat too early.  What really would bring out the syncopation of this section is to continue with the same rhythmic pulse that you held in bar 67-68.  That pulse continues in the listeners head during the rests. 

Bar 72-75: Again here a solid and steady pulse is needed.  Keep thinking the 16th note pulse as you play those half and quarters.  Some notes are off beat by tiny fractions. 

Bar 144-145: There are sF on every beat.  Make sure to keep the degree of sF is consistent for the string of its occurrences. 

Bar 150-156: Make sure to preserve line in the RH.  There is a slight RH pause between bar 150 and 151. As well as another pause between the 16th notes that precede the Half in bar 151.  Push through to the end of the phrase, create line.  Same thing for the second occurrence.  The eighth should move towards the quarter, and the two 16ths should move towards the half. 


Thank you for posting this, I enjoyed listening to it.  You have a good grasp of the overall conception of the movement, it's just small things that can be tweaked a bit to make it even better. 

Have you recorded the Arietta?  I'd love to hear it. 

[pianowolfi]

Thank you very much quantum! I have everything noted down in my score. Just one thing is not clear to me: where is there a rest between 150 and 151? Do you mean something like a little "comma" ?

I'm just about to post the Arietta

[quantum]

What I meant to say is that you put a slight pause in the RH between the notes 8th and quarter notes in 151-152.  I know it's difficult because of the fingering, but try to preserve the movement towards the quarter note in 152 without a hesitation. 

Also the same thing with the two 16th notes moving towards the half note in 152. 

Sorry, I sort of jumbled up those bar numbers.

Just about to download the Arietta.  Thanks for putting it up.