Moonlight vs. The Tempest

[sakhmet]

Ok, I have this competition coming up in seven months and I am unsure as to what sonata to learn.  I have to learn either the first or last movement of one sonata and its a toss up between the third movement of The Tempest or the third movement of Moonlight Sonata.  Which do you think is a better show piece?   
The rest of my pieces are Heroique Polonaise by Chopin, Etude Tableaux Op 33 no 6 by Rachmaninoff, Prelude and Fugue in C Minor from the first Well Tempered Clavier by Bach, and there is a toss up between the first movement of BB 88 Bartok Sonata or Etude op 18 - 1 by Bartok.  I would really appreciate your opinion! WHich sonata do you think would compliment this regimen the most?

[ganymed]

The Tempest has a higher level of difficualty. It's longer all in all has a different rhythm and tempo. Looking at the first page you will see THREE different tempi: Largo Allegero and Adagio.

But if you are not that advanced, I would suggest to take the easier sonata among those these, i.e the moonlight sonata. It is more reasonable to take an easier piece and play it perfect than choosing a hard piece which you barely manage to perfect.

[sakhmet]

That is true ganymed, but I am only learning the third movement of either one, and both movements are equal length.  I tried going with the shorter one but, as before mentioned, that didn't work out,
You know, I think I might go with Moonlight, because you are definitely right, The Tempest is harder and I don't really have a whole lot of time to learn it.  So, thank you!  I appreciate you responding,

[dan101]

Moonlight seems to be the popular choice, although I have a soft spot for the Tempest. It's such a powerful, yet reflective work. If you learn fast, I'd go for it.

[remy]

That is true ganymed, but I am only learning the third movement of either one, and both movements are equal length.  I tried going with the shorter one but, as before mentioned, that didn't work out,
You know, I think I might go with Moonlight, because you are definitely right, The Tempest is harder and I don't really have a whole lot of time to learn it.  So, thank you!  I appreciate you responding,

For my fingers, the third movement of Moonlight is much harder than the third movement of Tempest.

Moonlight demands an incredibly light, even, and fast touch for the arpeggios.

It also requires much more stamina than Tempest does.

As for which is the better show piece, definitely Moonlight.


remy

[sakhmet]

For my fingers, the third movement of Moonlight is much harder than the third movement of Tempest.

Moonlight demands an incredibly light, even, and fast touch for the arpeggios.

It also requires much more stamina than Tempest does.

As for which is the better show piece, definitely Moonlight.


remy

Yeah, I was starting to play Moonlight earlier today and, I'm not going to lie, that beginning is pretty dang hard to get it sound light and airy.  I do agree with you that it is the more impressive show piece, but I have other pieces that might make up for the lack of.  I've always favored The Tempest myself, especially the third movement, its so beautiful, but I am trying to impress here, but I am on a tight schedule so maybe I will go with The Tempest.  I don't know, I'm still a little undecided.

[kevinr]

It's hard to compare because the difficulties are of a different type and it depends what your strengths and weaknesses are.

I would say that both pieces would suffer if you tried learting them and getting them up to tempo too quickly.

I you go for the Moonlight 3rd movt I would keep it at half speed for a good half of the period of time you have to learn it. Try to get the upward broken chords very light and even and perfectly synchronised with the staccato bass.  It might help to practise the RH staccato too. If you can manage this it will help you to keep relaxed without  you wrist getting tense and seized up.  It will also help to keep the broken chords soft, which will make the loud repeated chords at the top all the more striking.

If you can keep relaxed like this the movement should not really be too much of a trial of stamina because you will be able to pace yourself and reserve the ff moments to the places where they will have the most dramatic impact.

I you go for the Tempest 3rd movement, again I think you need to start slowly and get the currect articulation and rhythm.

At all cost avoid letting it sound as if it is in 6/8 time. The first 2 quavers of the LH opening bar (and the many similar bars) should be fingered 54. This is an awkward skip but allows you to hold on to the second quaver as Beethoven requires. Again, keeping to a slow tempo will help you to achieve the right feel for the rhythm and time signature. The end of this movement is also a bit treacherous with its diminuendo on a downward arpeggio and soft ending.  At least with the Moonlight you can finish with 2 resounding loud chords!

Perhaps it might be worth stariting to learn both movements at half tempo then, depending on how you progress, making a decision on which to go with after a month or so.

[goldentone]

Moonlight wins over Tempest as far as a showpiece.  The last movement of Tempest seems to have a natural pianistic flow to it, that for me makes it easier to play.
It does require dynamic sensitivity.

[welltemperedpianist]

hmmm... I dont know if I would choose either Moonlight or Tempest for a competition. Especially the Moonlight -- go with Tempest.

[jinfiesto]

I dunno. I think that the rest of your program is pretty showy. You could do with something a little more  less show-oriented in your program, at least in my opinion. Plus, the Tempest is really a place to show off how musical you can be.