Opinions on Beethoven's Op2 No3 Sonata?

[rebel1ns]

ive been playing the first movement for a year, and it seems like a piece where you kinda have to "Bang" in some parts..anyway, my teacher wants me to continue and finish the other movements to do some competition next year..how are the other movements in terms of difficulty? ive listened to them, and they seem aight..thanks for any feedback

[maxy]

There are some truly nasty moments in mvt 4.  One involving left hand jumps close to the middle part.  The very end is also nasty.  On the good side, 4th is a fantastic mvt! 

[thalbergmad]

yeh, the section with stacatto thirds with both hands with a left had jump is an obstacle.

i guess a lot of the difficulty lies in how fast you want to play it.

[TheHammer]

4th movement, measures 291/292, RH: 
The Trio (3rd mov.) can be hard as well, especially in terms of evenness.
Very cool sonata, though. Will be tough to come by in a competition...

[thalberg]

The sixteenth notes in the fourth movement are really tough.  I've noticed that in Richard Goode's recording, he starts the eighth-note parallel chords pretty fast, then switches immediately to a slower tempo when the sixteenth notes come in, then goes right back to the opening tempo again when the sixteenths are finished.  Because sixteenths go faster, you really don't notice that he does it unless you tap along with a metronome running, which I did.  It's like an aural illusion.

I don't think he did this because he has technical shortcomings, I think he did it because it sounds good.  I personally played it all at the same speed, and while the sixteenths sounded great, the eighth notes needed more excitement.  If I had taken the eighths at the exciting speed, the sixteenths would have lacked clarity--not because of technical shortcomings, but because they would have sounded like a glissando.  When I play this piece again, I'll do it like Goode.  Best of both worlds. 

[pianote]

just really have to make sure the tempi remains consistent during the fourth mvt

[thalberg]

Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, and many other pianists in the top echelon routinely vary the tempos in Beethoven and Schubert.  Listen to Perahia's Wanderer Fantasie--in the third movement, the tempo is anywhere between 66 and 88 at any given point.  They do it so smoothly, skillfully, and judiciously that it's REALLY hard to notice--most people are totally unaware. 

[BoliverAllmon]

Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, and many other pianists in the top echelon routinely vary the tempos in Beethoven and Schubert.  Listen to Perahia's Wanderer Fantasie--in the third movement, the tempo is anywhere between 66 and 88 at any given point.  They do it so smoothly, skillfully, and judiciously that it's REALLY hard to notice--most people are totally unaware. 

that is a true artform there. Really adds beauty to the piece.

[infamousbr]

the 4th mvt is nice..

[mwarner1]

that is a true artform there. Really adds beauty to the piece.

If done smoothly, of course. Bruce Hungerford also did that at times.

[abbbaga]

i'm also learning this sonata.

I think it's very nice although there are some challenging spots in the first movement. Some people have difficulty with the thirds in the beginning. The section with the sixteenth note "arpeggios" is also challenging.

The fourth movement can be tough too.

[steinway43]

I don't know if this will help but the best technique tip I ever got really changed my playing for the better - and exponentially. It came from Andre Watts (I got to play for him when I was in high school) and he knows what he's talking about. 

On any scale or arppegio passage practice it staccato. And if need be practice it in the lowest possible register on the keyboard. He pointed out "if you can make it clear down there it will be VERY clear in it's normal register."  Maybe some of you already use this but I thought I'd pass it on just in case. I've also found that this helps facilitate speed as well as clarity, at least for me.

On the thirds in the opening of the first movement I found that limiting hand movement to a complete minimum is important, same with the ascending chords in the fourth movement. And, for any piece, try not to think of anything in terms of difficulty (if you can). For me this creates a stumbling block that is 3/4 lifted away when I stop thinking about it.