Who has learned the Hammerklavier?

[pmz310]

who has learnt it, and tell me your experiences

[general disarray]

I had to work it up for a master class course.

I'd never want to perform it.  I think it's failed Beethoven.  His strivings for profundity, in my very humble opinion, fall short of his stretch.  The pretentious Adagio overstays its welcome and the fugue is a gigantic, convoluted pain in the ass. 

Beethoven achieved supreme summits of inspiration that I could only dream of.  But the Hammerklavier is not one of those summits.  It's an inflated, bloated monster of a sonata that fails as often as it succeeds.  Give me 101, 109, 110, 111.  Perfection.

I'm sooo over the Hammerklavier. 

[tompilk]

thank god someone agrees with me. I've never really liked it that much...

[goldentone]

I had to work it up for a master class course.

I'd never want to perform it. I think it's failed Beethoven. His strivings for profundity, in my very humble opinion, fall short of his stretch. The pretentious Adagio overstays its welcome and the fugue is a gigantic, convoluted pain in the ass.

Beethoven achieved supreme summits of inspiration that I could only dream of. But the Hammerklavier is not one of those summits. It's an inflated, bloated monster of a sonata that fails as often as it succeeds. Give me 101, 109, 110, 111. Perfection.

I'm sooo over the Hammerklavier.

That's an interesting perspective on the Hammerkalvier.  Definitely food for thought.

I mess around with the first movement every so often.  As far as I know, it has never been posted in the audition room.

[Nightscape]

I love this sonata.  It's my favorite Beethoven sonata.  But it is so massive and rich I don't actually listen to it often.  But when I do it's quite an experience.  I've never tried to play it however.  But I imagine learning it would either spoil its magic or make you appreciate it even more... hard to say really.

[franzliszt2]

I went through a hammerklavier phase, and practiced it for a few weeks. I really love this piece, but I think that there are better sonatas.

[thierry13]

I love this sonata.  It's my favorite Beethoven sonata.  But it is so massive and rich I don't actually listen to it often.  But when I do it's quite an experience.  I've never tried to play it however.  But I imagine learning it would either spoil its magic or make you appreciate it even more... hard to say really.

I'd say if you REALLY study it when you are fully ready to tackle it, and if you can make the magic happen, you will appreciate it even more, IMO.

[destinysora]

I absolutely in love with the first movement fugal part and the last movement,the most complex fugue written... It's one of my future goals to play, anyways, its a masterpiece!~

[richard black]

Getting back to the original question, I have learned it, and I can tell you it never, ever gets easy. But I'm not a professional soloist (I'm a professional accompanist and an amateur soloist), so don't take my word for it. Instead, consider Alfred Brendel's delight when he left the stage after his last performance of the piece, knowing he would never have to climb that mountain in public again. I don't know Brendel personally, but a mutual friend told me he felt as if a great weight had been taken off his shoulders - or words very much to that effect.

But it's very rewarding to work on, nevertheless.

[wert718]

I have learned it. It's very difficult and frustrating (for me) at first, but I had great satisfaction after I did. Personally, I like the Waldstein and Appasionata sonatas better, though.

[slow_concert_pianist]

I had to work it up for a master class course.

I'd never want to perform it.  I think it's failed Beethoven.  His strivings for profundity, in my very humble opinion, fall short of his stretch.  The pretentious Adagio overstays its welcome and the fugue is a gigantic, convoluted pain in the ass. 

Beethoven achieved supreme summits of inspiration that I could only dream of.  But the Hammerklavier is not one of those summits.  It's an inflated, bloated monster of a sonata that fails as often as it succeeds.  Give me 101, 109, 110, 111.  Perfection.

I'm sooo over the Hammerklavier. 

So you can't play it. Don't blame Beethoven. The Hammerklavier needs to be played perfectly or not at all (cf my failed half fugue I presented the forum ages ago). As a discipline this work is transcendental and as such is a million times more difficult than anything else Beethoven wrote. In many respects it stress the point I continue to make that "outstanding technique" does not make good music on its own. This is an exercise of interpretation. The performer must contemplate the mind of Beethoven. Though I am pretty much a fan of everything that Glenn Gould does, his recording of this is particularly special. Indeed I rate Gould as producing the finest interpretations of Chopin’s B minor sonata, Prokofiev’s Stalingrad, Scriabin’s 3rd and Mozart’s 1st Sonata in C major, D & variations, but he also does a number of Bach’s WTC better than anyone else. Actually the Hammerklavier fuge is the best of all of his recordings, or that’s my opinion.

[tds]

The Hammerklavier needs to be played perfectly or not at all..

wow, how interesting to hear such suggestion from you. 

[slow_concert_pianist]

wow, how interesting to hear such suggestion from you. 

Your comment is meaningless. Be specific. If your are referring to flaws in presented performances at the audition room. I'll tell you what....you invest in a $15 mic plug it into your laptop, download some free audacity software, hit RECORD and show me "how to play" - one take, no accoustics.

Otherwise SHUT YOUR BIG MOUTH!

[perelea]

don't you think you're a bit rude ?

[tds]

Your comment is meaningless. Be specific. If your are referring to flaws in presented performances at the audition room. I'll tell you what....you invest in a $15 mic plug it into your laptop, download some free audacity software, hit RECORD and show me "how to play" - one take, no accoustics.

Otherwise SHUT YOUR BIG MOUTH!

ha ha ha...calm down, friend. we're all gud btw,i got several live video performances on youtube if you wanna watch...

don't you think you're a bit rude ?

it's ok with me, he was just having a bad day methinks