Beethoven - Op.2 nº1 - Allegro

[migamaral]

Hi Everybody,

this is my first post in the audition room. I´m a 25 years old piano student. started when I was 6, up to 10, then stoped for 13 years. For the last two years I´ve been studying with a piano teacher here in Portugal.

Sorry for the mistakes... PLEASE COMMENT

By the way, do you enjoy playing early Beethoven?

Miguel Amaral

[thierry13]

There is of course much work to do, but this is a very clean rendition for an inexperienced student!

[goldentone]

I hear a lot of good things in your playing--there is a real artist in you.  Thanks for sharing, and keep at it!

[migamaral]

Many thanks for your comments!
Do you like de tempo? should it be faster?

[pianisten1989]

I think it's too slow, and to... kind. Beethoven wrote plenty of unexpected accents and fortes in his music, don't be afraid using them. And the when the "legato lines" ends it doesn't mean staccatto, just a mitt more quiet. You do something, with the arpegio-chords, you make them really short, and I am sorry, but I don't like that at all.

You should listen more to what you're playing. Now it sounds like you not really care how it sounds, musicaly speaking. It's true that you should keep a solid tempo while playing beethoven, but it doesn't mean you should play it like a metronome...

Anyway, now you know all the notes, and it's time to use them.

[migamaral]

Hi pianisten1989, about the tempo, I know it is a little bit slow but I just don't think it sould be much more faster. Have you listen to William Kempf record? His tempo is similar.

About the arpegios, they are a bit short, but thats because my left hand isnt that good yet... you're right it shouldn't be that short...

I also don't think that it is to kind, I think that Beethoven has always some passionate side. And I think that early Beethoven sould be played not to strongly and somehow in a delicade way... These 3 first sonatas are dedicated to Haydn, are pure classic sonatas, so they are not to palyed with the same sound and intensity of middle and late Beethoven works, that's what I think.

could you be more specific about the accents and forts missing?

Thanks, sorry for my bad english

[pianisten1989]

Okey, it's your interpretation. But still, it's not really the tempo accualy, it's  more about the intensivity. If you have a slower tempo, you'll have to be really accuare in your staccatto, sf cresc. and such.
 
About the fortes:
It starts piano then it's a sf in bar 5, and that should be noticed by the listener. then in bar 6 it's also a sf, but a bit more, then a ff in the next bar which is kind of unprepared.

I would look through the score and find such places

[migamaral]

I know the score, I know where it is forte or piano... And I really don't think that the dinamics are the problem...

Some technical problems yes, in the trills, in the grace notes, in the arpegios... not really in the dinamics...

[ganymed]

the staccato markings are a relative dynamic marking and not an absolute marking. Meaning that you can'T play all notes VERY SHORT if they have staccato. I have the feeling that you do that. Otherwise beethoven would have written quavers in the beginning.  you play them too short.

And in bar twenty i think the left hand could need more intensity. Imagine the sound of a timpani here or sth like that. 

and for the beginning. Even if it is sforzato it is still not that loud because we are still in piano at the beginning.


Bar 8: Dont be afraid to use the forte and other dynamic shades, colors.

 The problem is that you stay in mezzo forte all the time. But there is soo much dynamic contrast FF here and then next bar piano when the theme pops up on the
dominant.


and concerning the sf at the beginning. If you play those too loud. Then the loud arpeggio in bar 8 will not surprise the listener




Edit: Dont forget to count in alla breve. This is hint from beethoven we must take into account. Playing this piece too slow will have the effect that everything will fall apart. Playing faster will give your playing a driving force here.

What is your justification for playing so slow. I think it a different recording from a concert pianist is not a real basis to decide upon. You have to think for yourself

[migamaral]

I don't play it slow because Kempf or Brendel also play it not to fast. As I said, I think that this piece should be played in a passionate and elegant way, and palying it to fast cuts that spirit, in my opinion off course.

I play it like this because I feel it like this, that's what comes out of the score for me.

It´s also to say that this is an allegro and that we have a presto tempo at the last movement, and if you play the first movement to fast, you will have to play the last in a very very fast tempo.

[communist]

good job