Hi all,
For an amateur pianist it is irresistible not to feel tempted at some point to play this work as, to some extent, it is accessible from the technical standpoint. However, this movement is immensely complex in many other aspects. The phrases, the layers, details everywhere and the emotions behind. I read that this is not about moonlight at all, but about death, sadness and grief. The manuscript (in the Musikverein in Vienna) has a few measures of Mozart's Don Giovanni transcribed with Beethoven's handwriting, corresponding to the section where the commendatore dies. It is a funeral march. The similarity between Mozart's music and this is staggering.
I tried to play it having all that into consideration, but I know it will never be enough.
Any feedback is welcomed,
KT