Pedaling in Brahms Piano Sonata #3

[scott13]

Hey all,

I've recently begun work on Brahms F minor Sonata and am after some opinions on the pedaling.

I've consulted many editions as well as an exhaustive google search, yet the issue seems to still be fairly unexplained. Editions, even urtext seem to differ on pedal indications, leading me to question which ones are indeed authentic. Furthermore many artists seem to pedal in different places, leading me to think it ultimately comes down to personal taste.

So far I have been playing with the less is more mindset, yet in the first movement, there are some rather tricky chords popping up which are very difficult to play legato without the pedal, as the LH has staccato triplets, which would obviously be ruined by use of the pedal.

To others who have either studied the work or know it well, how do you feel the pedal should be approached for this piece? Is my approach of whenever possible use finger legato a good starting point for the pedaling in this work?

Any thoughts or opinions are welcome.