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Topic: Beethoven 32 Variations (Read 11843 times)

sissco

PS Silver Member
Full Member
Posts: 200

Beethoven 32 Variations

on: October 24, 2006, 07:22:32 PM

This is a great piece to learn, and it is defenitely on my list. Can someone tell me a bit more about the difficulties, which variations are the most difficult etc. I think it is pretty playable or am I wrong? Thanks!

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counterpoint

PS Silver Member
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Posts: 2003

Re: Beethoven 32 Variations

Reply #1 on: October 24, 2006, 08:14:41 PM

Wow, it's one of my favourite Beethoven piano works.

But don't underrate the difficulties!
Don't look at it, as if it were Czerny Variations!!!

All you see in the notated music seems quite "normal": broken chords, scales, trills etc
But first, we have an extreme tempo (in spite of the Allegretto marking of the theme), every single note has to be played totally clear, great parts have to be played piano or pianissimo (the forte/fortissimo parts are much easier to play). The last Variations XXXI/XXXII are horrible for the left hand.
You have to totally change the musical expression every 8 bars while keeping the ongoing pace through the whole work. It's a sort of "march to the holy land".

This work is really challenging!!!

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