Can someone recommend a recording to me? I literally can't find a single one that I like.Just to broaden this topic, seeing as how I never see anyone talking about the 109, why do you think it is performed so infrequently, compared to 81a, 106, 110 and 111?
Is it really so much more infrequently performed than any of the other four of Beethoven's last five piano sonatas (i.e. 101 and the last three that you mention here)?Best,Alistair
Thanks for your suggestion regarding a recording; I'll look into it!
Not so much Op. 101, but definitely much less than the others. Obviously I don't have a handy chart or something, but yes, I would say that it is an unequivocal fact that Op. 109 is performed (and recorded) considerably less than the ones I listed. Ironically, Op. 101 is my third-favorite behind Opp. 109 and 111. Maybe the effort required to perform 101 and 109 well doesn't pay the dividends of audience "wow" that a pianist thinks he or she should deserve upon a strong performance of them?
Alistair wanted to recommend Jonathan Powell's performances, but was too shy to do so.
I feel the same way as John, actually. It such a great sonata, but I haven't heard a recording that I am really satisfied with. Guess we have to play it ourselves, eh?
ahinton: Oh, come on! Don't be so full of yourself that you can't take a joke!
Incidentally, when the whole cycle is performed in chronological order I think this sonata gets a raw deal. This is because it occurs as the first item in the final recital (Op 109, 110, 111) and I don't think it really belongs as the first item in any recital. . At the end of each of these 3 sonatas I have the feeling that there's nothing more to say for now and it's time to go home (with no encores).
Just to broaden this topic, seeing as how I never see anyone talking about the 109, why do you think it is performed so infrequently, compared to 81a, 106, 110 and 111?
I would say that it is an unequivocal fact that Op. 109 is performed (and recorded) considerably less than the ones I listed.
Schnabel.SCHNABEL! I cannot for the life of me understand why Schnabel's name often goes unmentioned in these discussions. Schnabel wished only to play music that was "better than could be played", and he did it better than anyone else from the 20th century. I knew there was something special about op.109 when I listened to Ashkenazy and Brendel, and later Rosenbaum, but my first-hearing of Schnabel's recording remains one of the most cherished moments of my life.Listen to it and you'll see why
Let's not forget Becky's grandfather studied with Schnabel...
The one major thing working against Schnabel is something he had no control over: the sound quality in most recordings I've heard of him is atrocious. When I listen to a work, I have to enjoy it in all aspects, and that includes how the sound quality is. Perhaps many of the others here have the same rationale as I do.
This is rather off-topic, but how in the world am I supposed to play those polyrhythmic trills in the last movement? I'm finding them completely unplayable.