Tips forBeethoven Appassionata Sonata (no 23)

[calculaepp]

Hello, I was thinking of learning the Appasionata! Here are some of the pieces I have already learned.

Beethoven Moonlight sonata (all movements)
Chopin etude op 25 no 11 (Winter wind)
Chopin etude op 10 no 4 (Torrent)
Scriabin etude op 8 no 12
Soler Sonata no 84
Various Chopin nocturnes/waltzes
Some Brahms waltzes.

I honestly don't think its too hard for me so I'm just looking for tips on learning it. Thank you!

[pianowhisper]

Hello calculaepp,

It is obviously a very demanding piece.
By some of your repertoire it seems like you certainly have good technique. Just bear in mind that even if you have tackled some of Chopin's more advanced etudes, the sonata might still pose some problems since it's a very complex work.

I suggest that you try reading through it a couple or few times, so you can start getting acquainted with it and figure out whether you think you're ready or not. Since you think it's not too hard for you, I'd say go ahead! Mind you, I'm not a professional pianist like many others on this forum. I tried learning this piece over the years and still can't play it 100% reasonably. I can't deny I've improved a lot of my technique with it though, so that is always a good point.

For me personally, I struggled the most with the 1st movement (hard to make it sound good throughout its 10-12min and convey the different characters in each section while still making it sound like one continous piece and not many tiny pieces one after the other, if you know what I mean).
The 3rd movement ends up demanding a lot of stamina, especially after going through the first two. I'd advise to mind Beethoven's tempo indication of "Allegro ma non troppo". I've heard way too many performances of this sonata with people just rushing through this Allegro as if it were Presto.

Now, with all that being said, I would still strongly recommend other Beethoven sonatas instead, which I believe could benefit you a lot more before tackling the Op.57. Would you have some other earlier sonatas you especially like? I'm not trying to discourage you, but I do think playing some other Beethoven first would be much better. Maybe have a look at some others, like the Op.13, 26, 28... the list goes on and on.

Good luck!

[calculaepp]

Hi pianowhisper! You give very good advice and I have taken it into consideration, while I don’t doubt my technical ability to play the appasionata it has been a while since I’ve studied Beethoven, so it would probably be better to ease myself in and learn an easier sonata first to evade the “shock” or whatever it’s called! I’ve always wanted to learn op 31,2 (Tempest) So I might start with that

[pianowhisper]

Hello,

I'm glad to be of help. In my opinion, you can definitely learn the Appassionata too, but the thing with these "beasts" of a piece is that it is easy to get frustrated rather quickly while you could be having a much "better" time with another one (if that makes sense). I feel it is a good idea to just have studied a few other Beethoven sonatas first to ease yourself, like you said, while you can always keep going back to the Appassionata to see how it goes every now and then.

I have learned the entirety of Op.31/2 and I've had good advice on it from this forum in the past. It is an amazing piece of music. If you want any thoughts shared on the Tempest, let me know and feel free to PM me too.

Good luck! Cheers,
pw