Moonlight vs Pastorale

[santiagoguerrero]

Which one is the most technnically demanding?
Which one is harder to understand?
Good and bad things about each one

I have to choose between them and I´m not sure which one would suit me best

PD:I´m also considering Marcia Funebre.   

[distantfieldrelative]

In my opinion the Moonlight is harder. But the Moonlight is played often and often played badly.
If you are planning on learning an entire sonata I would pick the Pastoral instead.
Do you plan on learning the entire Funeral March Sonata if you pick it instead or just the march?

[brogers70]

I agree with distantfieldrelative. So many people play the Moonlight, and the Pastorale is wonderful. Beethoven does not always have to be dreaming or shaking his fist at the thunder, sometimes he's just enjoying nature.

The Marcia Funebre sonata is also great, more playful and subtle than either the Moonlight or the Pastorale.

[briansaddleback]

Both Moonlight and Pastorale are difficult to play. Both of those are on the back end of my Henle vol1. Hard to keep that side of the book open flat.

Easier for me to practice now are the ones smack in the middle of the book. I.e. Grand Sonata, opus 10, pathetique, and opus 14.



 

[siveron]

Moonlight is harder, without a doubt!

[rubinsteinmad]

I dunno; maybe the Moonlight is more technically demanding, but the Pastoral is a bigger work?

I prefer to listen to the Moonlight Sonata; every single movement is beautiful, and it is a short sonata. I would recommend it for audiences. However, for competitions (depending on the time limit), the Pastoral seems to be the more recommended choice.

[santiagoguerrero]

I do agree Moonlight is overplayed,so,what would you choose between Pastorale and Marcia Funebre?

[brogers70]

I think it just depends on which you personally like more. The Pastorale is easier to understand as a listener, I think, and it's beautiful. The Marcia Funebre is more subtle and complicated. There are many points in there, especially in the variations where it's not always obvious whether Beethoven is taking himself seriously, or is role-playing. Is he even fully serious in the funeral march itself, or is he mocking the dramatic pomposity of the whole thing, or is he simultaneously mocking it and enjoying it? The final rondo is great, but it doesn't have the easy-to-love catchy tune that the finale of the Pastorale does.

I think they are technically comparable, but the Marcia Funebre is a good deal harder to think about and settle on an interpretation. I sort of think the Pastorale would work better as an audition piece, but only by a little bit.

[minor9th]

I assume the Moonlight's difficulty rating is primarily due to the last movement, correct?

[chopinlover01]

I assume the Moonlight's difficulty rating is primarily due to the last movement, correct?

The last is the most difficult, to be sure, but don't underestimate the second movement. To be well played it requires far more than the 1st.
IMO the movements of the Moonlight are progressively more difficult.
As for the original, please, everyone's sick to death of the Moonlight. Personally I like them equally, so pick whichever one you play better.

[bzzzzzt]

Another vote for the Pastorale here.  I played it last year and I really enjoyed learning it.  It has such a range of techniques that my playing really improved by learning this piece.  And there's plenty of subtle nuance and depth to keep you engaged if you have to work at it for a long time.

[rubinsteinmad]

As for the original, please, everyone's sick to death of the Moonlight.

I'm not. The Moonlight remains one of my favorite sonatas of all time.

[bronnestam]

I linked to a video the other day about playing the Pastorale ... extremely detailed, should give you many ideas.


https://vimeo.com/ondemand/pastoralone