[Video] Mozart - Sonata No.8 in A-minor, K.310

[siiben]

Hi again, here's another clip. I've added time stamps for all three movements.

I enjoyed the Andante, but all in all not quite my most polished effort. I guess that's the nature of any performance. (Didn't have the stamina to attempt a third recording so here's take two).

Onto the next one!

[perfect_pitch]

Way too much pedal. You're like me in my early years.

Unfortunately, for Mozart - chances are any passage with scalic RH passages are NOT meant to be pedalled... say for instance bar 3, 11 etc...

In the second movement, watch how you execute your turns, some of them are a scalic note too high... like 10:15, 11:33 and also make sure when you execute them you don't change the beat of the overall bar like 13:32.

3rd movement has parts that rush, and go slightly out of time rhythmically especially with the quaver appoggiaturas. I also somehow suspect that you're not holding all the underlying dotted crotchets with your fingers and are letting the pedal do all your work for you.

Again... over the whole piece I say it because this is what I used to do a long time ago. Pedal however is the main suspect (6:21 - pedalling a chromatic scale??? BIG NO NO!!!)

[siiben]

Way too much pedal. You're like me in my early years.

Unfortunately, for Mozart - chances are any passage with scalic RH passages are NOT meant to be pedalled... say for instance bar 3, 11 etc...

In the second movement, watch how you execute your turns, some of them are a scalic note too high... like 10:15, 11:33 and also make sure when you execute them you don't change the beat of the overall bar like 13:32.

3rd movement has parts that rush, and go slightly out of time rhythmically especially with the quaver appoggiaturas. I also somehow suspect that you're not holding all the underlying dotted crotchets with your fingers and are letting the pedal do all your work for you.

Again... over the whole piece I say it because this is what I used to do a long time ago. Pedal however is the main suspect (6:21 - pedalling a chromatic scale??? BIG NO NO!!!)

Proper feedback, thanks for putting in the time, much appreciated! Feel like I've been slacking now, have to start putting more effort into these.

[dw4rn]

Even if this is not your most polished effort, I still admire your flow and gusto.

There are some wrong notes - in the slow movement ornaments as perfect_pitch pointed out, but also for example in the first movement measures 42-43 (wrong rhythm, and you replay the R.H. C which should be tied)

Regarding the pedal - yes, in many places it's "too much". On the other hand, I suspect that if you just removed it, it would not make me like your performance better. I see exactly what perfect_pitch means, but  the fact that you pedal through a chromatic scale doesn't actually bother me that much. I think that if you work hard on evenness, phrasing and articulation, it will still be a good idea to use the pedal slightly more than you would on an acoustic piano, to make up for the shortcomings in the digital sound.

One thing you should try is to use more finger pedal, especially in the second movement, i.e. instead of relying on the sustain pedal to blend the L.H. notes into chords, hold them for longer with your fingers.

The last movement is just too mechanical, you really need to get some character and phrasing in there.

[perfect_pitch]

I see exactly what perfect_pitch means, but  the fact that you pedal through a chromatic scale doesn't actually bother me that much

Maybe not... but I guarantee that it's wrong. Light arpeggiated phrases can get away with small light pedalling; scalic (tonal or chromatic) DEFINITELY shouldn't be pedaled almost all through Classical music and even through some early Romantic music I would say as a good guideline if you want to play it correctly and cleanly.

[siiben]

Thanks, appreciate the pointers!

I'm applying all of this to my next project (Beethoven sonata op. 2 no. 3). I've re-listened to renditions of it and was shocked to realize how little pedal is actually used. I get it now. I also see your point about acoustic vs. digital.

Anyhow, I'll definitely be working on evenness and articulation more from now on. Hopefully you'll be able to hear the results in my next video.

[anacrusis]

I think you really get the character of the first movement, it has an appropriate fire to it which I like. I think you still need to find the character for the third movement, it has a certain haunting anxiety to it which I think you can find if you search a bit.

I agree regarding the pedal, but as a caveat I still think you can use pedal in Classical style music. You just have to use it very subtle in the sense that if anybody notices that you are using the pedal, it's to much. But it can still be there for color. You just have to press it down much less (barely a quarter of the way down) and change it a lot more often.

Looking forward to hearing your next video!

[siiben]

Thanks!

Yes, originally I wasn't even going to practise the 3rd mvt because it annoyed me, but I realized I was being silly. So I compromised by estimating my way through it. The pros and cons of not having and being accountable to a teacher..

Looking forward to hearing your next video!

Same here! Doing my best to make it worth the wait.

[mcporter87]

Wonderful recording and well played. But I do agree that you are being a little heavy on the sustain pedal. I really try to minimise use of the sustain pedal with any Mozart. This is a sonata that is often so easy to play too quickly. I’d actually play the Allegro a tad slower, the andante a little quicker then let lose on the presto! But playing the allegro that little bit faster certainly does make it all the more impressive to those who are listening!

 

[siiben]

Thanks, appreciate it! I've used what little spare time and energy I've had this year to implement the comments I received for this recording into my current project (Beethoven's Sonata op. 2 no. 3). I'll post a video of the first movement before the end of the year.