Beethoven Sonata No. 27, Op. 90, 1st mov.

[rachfan]

This was recorded on tape, and there is a minor glitch as the tape jumps in one spot.  My performance admittedly has a few fluffs as well, and could use some additional polishing, but I decided to post it, as I don't believe this sonata has appeared here before.

[pianowolfi]

I appreciate that you post this sonata which I truly love!
Well, there are many things in your interpretation I would do completely differently, but that makes it interesting to discuss. Let's go. First of all, I think the emphasis on the first beat of the measure, followed by a much more lighter touch on the eighth notes gives too much the impression of a waltz or at least German dance. Then i would try to make a much bigger contrast between the eighth notes+rest in m. 1-2 and the portato notes in the answering motif m. 3-4. And more p in the places where it is said. Also a bigger contrast would be nice between the part m.1-8 and the part m. 9-16. Brendel talks about this movement being a manifestation of the male and the female principle that Beethoven has often mentioned himself and i think Brendel is right here. M. 29, 33, 37: the dotted quarter notes are too short. Well as i have played this piece myself, I know that the tenth Albertis are a pregnant dog. My method for that: I try not to span the tenths. I leave the lowest note as quickly as possible. And I try to relax, that is very important. M. 40 ff the quarter notes sound too staccato imo. Also 86 ff. and 181 ff. I like how you play the part from 114 in a straight forward motion.
I like very much your melancholic approach in the last section from m. 210 though you lose a bit too much speed there imo. All in all it's on a very good way, sometimes I miss a bit momentum.

Regards 

Pianowolfi

[rachfan]

Hi Pianowolfi,

Thanks so much for your feedback on my playing of this sonata.  On accenting the downbeats, my teacher at the time had made that suggestion, on hearing me emphasizing the weak beats a tad too much.  It might be that I overcompensated.  If I restudy the piece (which I likely will, as the second movement needs more work), I'll experiment with that.   I agree that in Ms 3-4 I should have made more of the portato, especially where it is notated in both hands--double punctuation really!  On playing p, the problem was that I was breaking in my new Baldwin L (having shifted from Steinway) at the time, and was still getting used to the feel of the piano's action.  Today, I know I could make those dynamic contrasts much more convincing. 

On Brendel's male/female concept, I had written at the top of the score "Struggle between heart and head", which I think refers to the very same principle.  M 1-8 is clearly the more gruff and energetic, while 9-16 is more lyrical, gentle and pleading.  It is a fine example of that consistent tendency in Beethoven's writing, which occurs as well in his orchestral music.   

Re: the dotted quarters--I do agree, as I listen to the recording now, they are a bit rushed, probably as I was anticipating the scalar runs occurring thereafter.  I've noted that in the score.  Thanks!

Ah yes, the pregnant dog....  I like your suggestions on execution a lot.  Here was my approach to it which helped too: Rather than practicing the Alberti bass as written, I regrouped the notes.  So, for example, instead of practicing them literally as groups of fours, I'd practice them instead as the last three notes of a group plus the first note of the next group.  So (looking at the first occurance) instead of practicing it as B D F# D, I practiced it as D F# D C#.  I found that helped to smooth out the technical challenge and overcome the bumpiness as well. 

In 40 onward, yes the quarters are a little clipped there.  I was concentrating on voicing the tops of the double notes and chords, and was probably so intent on that that I lost sight of the value of the quarters.  Good catch. 

Hmmm, we might be using different editions.  In the Henle urtext there is no ff at 86 or at 181.  I can only find two in this edition at 53 and 132, neither of which are relevant here.  So some of the agogics might differ as well. 

But I'm with you again at 114.  Yes, that's not an easy section to play.  Interest seems to shift to the LH there, yet the reason is elusive until you analyze it.  There is a tiny motif there in the LH, where you can think of the third beat of each measure forming a slur across the barline with the first beat of the next measure.  Beethoven actually wrote the slur into what is numbered in the Henle as 119-120.  Taking that as a cue, I hand wrote the slurs into the rest of the section as well.  The slurs taken together are actually scalar!  Thus the  scale forms the melody against the filligree in the RH.   And the the RH becomes what I'd call an Alberti treble, haha!  Leave it to Beethoven.  Only he could come up with figuration like that.

From 210 on, the extended coda, Beethoven starts a ritardando at 233, and I did capitalize on that for sure.  After all the storm and stress in this movement, this formed a tranquil moment in my mind to be savored.  So that one would probably be a difference in interpretation.

Again, thanks for responding.  I really enjoyed reexamining these facets of the sonata.   
         

[pianowolfi]

Hmmm, we might be using different editions.  In the Henle urtext there is no ff at 86 or at 181.  I can only find two in this edition at 53 and 132, neither of which are relevant here.  So some of the agogics might differ as well.         

Uh oh this is a misunderstanding. I meant "measure 86 and following" i did not mean fortissimo.  sorry¨! ff is an abbreviation for "Following pages" that is used in literature often  i meant "following measures".

On Brendel's male/female concept, I had written at the top of the score "Struggle between heart and head", which I think refers to the very same principle.

Yes that is right!
(Well, just a comment in brackets. Lucky the one who just has to deal with a struggle between heart and head. It gets really tough when there's a struggle between heart and heart... i mean, your own heart struggling with itself; )

And about the last section, that's right, but the rit. begins at 233, not before. But as i said i like how you play this section. 

[rachfan]

Hey, on the ff, if you had said "folios" I would've gotten it 

[pianowolfi]

Ok folios, i'll use that next time