Beethoven "Tempest" Sonata - Complete

I've [finally] reached a completion point for the first two movements of this sonata, Beethoven's No 17 Op 31, No 2. Along with my already posted 3rd movement this completes the sonata and I present here for comments and feedback. Thank you in advance for your valuable time and consideration.

I: Largo-Allegro - I posted this movement a few weeks back for feedback, and decided to record again to make some improvements thanks to Eddy's feedback.

II: Adagio - This movement has tried my patience for sure! I thought recording it would be a piece of cake compared to the more technically challenging 1st and 3rd movements, but it took me much longer than I anticipated to get this down the way I wanted (or at least close to it - will probably never be completely happy with it). :?

III: Allegretto - I am uploading this movement to replace my current posting. I did not re-record it, but ran it through the same post-processor I used for the 1st and 2nd movements so all three will sound consistent (hiss removal and reverb).

Thanks again!

Matt

Beethoven - Sonata No. 17 Op. 31, No. 2 "The Tempest", I: Largo-Allegro (6:46)
Beethoven - Sonata No. 17 Op. 31, No. 2 "The Tempest", II: Adagio (8:13)
Beethoven - Sonata No. 17 Op. 31, No. 2 "The Tempest", III: Allegretto (5:39)

 

This one is on the site.

 

Thanks Chris! I noticed two little things on the posting site that you may want to fix whenever you have a few minutes...

1 - Looks like the durations posted next to the link got mixed up. The links are correct, but the 1st movement is 6:46, the 2nd is 8:13, and the 3rd is 5:39.

2 - I think you can remove the link to my old Allegretto movement down below the new postings.

Have a great weekend. 8)

Matt

 

Always good to check. It's fixed.

 

Great playing!!!

 

Thanks Robert. This piece has been in my personal "top five favorite" list for Beethoven Sonatas for quite some time, and it's nice to learn and complete a recording of it.

I appreciate you taking a listen.

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

These sound great. I like your phrasing, the variation in dynamics (I must admit the articulation at 2:50 in the 1st mvt. gave me a jump) :shock:

The tempo is good in all the pieces, though at some times I think their could have been less pedal, but that's my personal.

The third mvt. I have definitely heard before. Believe it or not, in a car commercial. They must have been trying to make the connection that the car was as well designed as this Beethoven sonata. Whether that's an appropriate connection... :roll:

Enjoyed listening to your performance,

Riley

 

Matt,

That is absolutely gorgeous. Your interpretation, your phrasing, your sense of Beethoven is great.

My only issue (and it is about recording, not your playing) is that the bass gets boomy and takes over a lot. This is an equalization issue in recording or post-production. It is making the bass sound as if it is part of a different instrument, possibly a digital instrument.

I look forward to hearing more of your work.

Scott

 

Thanks Riley and Scott for the comments and taking the time to listen!

Funny, it is a sudden transition that's for sure. There's always a decision to be made in spots like this I suppose. As the player, you know what's coming and it does take some discipline to keep your calm and not let the tranquil phrase ending reveal the upcoming storm. On the other side, sometimes pianists aren't able to contain their excitement and jump into the storm too aggressively creating either ugly sounds or rushing the tempo. I've certainly been guilty of this and still am from time to time, but have learned to better control it I think. The spot you mention is a little borderline ugly I think, in that I could have paid better attention to the tone quality on those first few notes.

Thanks so much Scott, I'm glad to hear this as I do so love Beethoven. I'm working on a few other Beethoven sonatas as well so your comment is encouraging! I think my attention span has been greatly diminished after having kids, based on my experience with the slow 2nd movement! :wink: For me it's one of those under-appreciated challenges when playing slow (semi-long to long) movements - fitting each section/variation into the bigger whole to tell one complete story rather than a series of connected short-stories, so to speak. Probably not a big deal for some, but was a surprising challenge for me and something I plan to develop.

Not sure if it will be the next sonata I post (have several in the hopper), but I'm very much enjoying work on Op. 109 - one of his late works. In my opinion a bit of a step up musically and technically from Tempest, so I'm going to allow plenty of time for it to "simmer" before attempting to record.

I know it's something I continue to refine. Everytime I play with the equalization I seem to make things worse, but I'll certainly keep working at it. Thanks for the feedback on this.

Matt

 

I know what you mean about adgio movements -- they are deceptive. Even though they don't often have the technical challenges of the faster movements, everything is laid so bare that just the slightest problems (a note that sticks out a little or an articulation that is too sharp) are magnified. You can slip a little on the fast, technical stuff, but it all flies by so fast that a listener does not have time to notice, but not on the slow stuff.

Scott