Beethoven - Sonata no.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2 "The Tem

These are up, Harald.

A few comments:

I: Bar 5 - the turn - should be A-G#-F Natural-G#. It's the F Natural that you played as an f-sharp. Allegro part at bar 100 and 105. Can't hear the LH when it crossed over RH.

II: Bar 89 - you are one beat shy. You started the RH 32nd note run too soon.

2nd bar from end - the RH is not all 8th notes, but 16th and 8th notes.

III: I didn't hear 3 beats in bars 99-103 and also 106-109

Bar 350 could use more fire!

I know this is a hard piece! I've tried it myself, but was only able to get down the 2nd movement. Most of your playing was nice. If you want to fix the incorrect spots, we can always replace a file.

 

Oh, Harald - I don't know what I was saying here. Maybe it was too early in the day or something. :lol:

Yes- I meant that it should be A-G#-F#-G#.

 

I listened with interest. In summary a nice record, I would like to give you some comments from my experience with this sonata:
To 1st mv.: I`m missing quite often dynamical contrasts. The triplets bar 21 are very accurately played (a bit more accurately as I did in my record, I suppose), but they sound a bit too boring for me, I´m missing here the Beethovenian spirit (fire, dynamics) and the sforzati. In the second theme you do too much rubato. I think, this is really over the limit of possibilities IMHO. In bar 64-68 you become very fast and in the part bar 76 ff. you become partly very slow. So the rubati (tempo-differences) are too much. I agree to the comment of Monica to the three movements.
In the part from bar 122-132 the sforzati are audible. In bar 157 the last eigth is rhythmically wrong. The part from 159-170 is rhythmically not clear enough for my taste. In the reprise of the second theme there is same problem like in the exposition.

To 2nd mv.: Bar 77-78 have rhythmical flaws, you changed at some places the sixteenth and the thirtysecond-notes, in bar 89 there is missing a whole quarter-note (the third beat) and you play the run a quarter too early. In bar 102 you play the sixteenth in the RH like eigth.
The quite fast tempo is possible and mostly you hold it very well, but for me it´s a little bit too fast, so that some expression is lost.

To 3rd mv.: in bar 4-6 the second a in the bass is sometimes not audible. For my taste the rubati in the whole movement are sometimes too big, that means too much tempo-uneveness. (I can´t imagine Beethoven has intended this, but, what a pity, I do not know him personally. :wink: ) Bar 99-101 is really too uneve, that means rhythmically wrong.
Though the tempo-changes are over the limit here IMO this movement has really much expression and is played with much feeling.

So, in summary it is an interesting and unusual recording for me and an achievement, though I do not agree to all points of interpretation. I hope you feel my critical remarks to be helpful, they reflect just my opinion. Thank you for sharing.

 

Harald wrote:

I´m very happy about this. This is a main sense of this site for me. I´m also very glad, if someone points out the blemishs of my recordings. (I have to underline, the critical remarks should always be as factual as possible and we all should try not to insult the others. So, it´s always necessary IMO also to find some positive words besides the critical remarks, and I think, a recording with only negative aspects is very seldom.) Your recording has really a very positive side: you play expressively and musically (especially the third movement is really of an artistic range, because of your individual interpretation of the "storm"-character, you should not give up this idea, which is absolute the right base IMO, my personal tip is: just play not a too wild storm, may be a bit more "civilized storm" (only concerning the tempo, not the dynamics). :wink:
I have to admit, I made nearly the same rhythmical flaws in the second movement, when I posted my first version of the second mv. here. And it was mainly Pianolady, who gave me really valuable corrections and inspirations. F.ex. she inspirated me to play the staccato-notes in the third mv., and I made a new interpretation with a consequent playing of the staccato-notes. In my old version I played them in the pedal like you. I still like my new interpretation, because I feel it to be more adequate to what Beethoven wrote in his score. But, of course, THIS is absolutely a matter of personal taste, it´s also possible to play them with pedal and to consider the staccato-points as "hand-notes".

Thanks for this, Harald. Of course, I try to realize my imaginations on the pieces and they become more or less well reality in my recordings. May be there sometimes is a difference between my theory and the reality of my recordings.:wink:

 

Harald wrote:

Ah, that´s it, that must be the explanation. :lol: :wink: