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Hi everybody!

Today I can present you my recording of the entire sonata op. 110 by Beethoven. In contrast to the Brahms Intermezzo I recently presented, this sonata has a very short "history" in my life, I learned it from scratch during the last months. So this is just a "first approach", and I cannot hide that fact. But I hope you can appreciate what I'm able to do with it for now....

http://youtu.be/_9Vz_a5XCR4?list=UUeyJ1lP8euJ5V5oU7MDz4oA

Clearly you're an accomplished pianist. I remember playing this Sonata - it was my first so serious Sonata by Beethoven, I was young, stupid. I rememeber the hardest thing for me was to build it's form as the whole piece. It's very hard piece to play it from the begininning to end - even just playing the notes is hard. But you gave them meaning also and I think it's a big achievement, I know how much effort it costs. You can go and play this piece on a rectital.
I love your G/A flat minor parts - because of your perspective (the same as in Intermezzo, I wrote about it as Veronique Marie at your youtube channel). Your sound, mood, articulation is very good. Almost everything is good in your performance.

There are some things I don't like - the chords at the end of the second movement are a little stiffy.
I don't like your tempo in the first part - I felt it as a little rushed, but you seem relaxed in this tempo, so maybe it's right. In the second fugue before the first octaves in left hand you rushed, which for me destroyed this restraint, which should be in there. In the last movement before meno allegro (when the sixteens show off) you take of slurs too agressively. In the final I don't like your chords in right hand, because of too sharp sound, it's almost like you stopped to hear the melody. The last movement as the whole sounded a little nervous, maybe you were a little stressed if you will be sucessful in playing the whole piece as it should be played.

I'm very curious what is your background? Your playing suggests that you had a professional education.

Thank you very much, verqueue, for liking my performance in general, and also for all your critical remarks! Yes, it is difficult not only to overcome the technical challenges of this masterwork, but also to find a convincing answer to its mysterious and unusual form. I'm glad you could hear that I didn't fail with my first approach. For now I need a rest, and I'm already zealously working at other, quite different stuff. But after a year or two I'll have to come back, to start on a higher level and to get much more familiar to everything.

About your remarks: Yes, it is difficult to make these massive chords sound powerful and elastic at the same time. The tempo of the first movement is Moderato, maybe I played more Allegretto? But as you noticed correctly, I was perfectly at ease. Maybe I'll need more time when I come back later? Let's see.... The second fugue has "Meno allegro" when the 16th show off. And then, before the octaves of the left hand, there is "poi a poi più moto", so there is an accelerando – maybe I exaggerated? Not getting a little nervous in the giant and challenging labyrinth of the last movement – that's what I wasn't able to make come true for now. When the camera is on and you know that everything was quite fine until a certain point, there can be a certain tension, you are right I hope to be able one day just to add the "crowning" fugues, without any tension

About my background: Yes, I'm a professional pianist, with diplomas as a piano teacher and a soloist. I have studied at the conservatories of Basel (with Peter Efler, who was a pupil of Paul Baumgartner) and Bern (with Michael Studer, who was a pupil of Yvonne Lefébure). Later I got important encouragement by Hubert Harry, who lived in Lucerne and was a pupil of Edwin Fischer and Dinu Lipatti in his young days. I'm teaching a lot, I already did this when I was a student. Giving many concerts apart from this is beyond my forces, but I'm still practising three hours every day, learning new repertoire, all this.... Now you know already a lot, further questions?

What do you play next? You inspired me to do the op. 117 by Brahms .



I don't think it was Allegretto. It's the matter of an interpretation and I think your tempo is the fastest one from acceptable tempos. I just hear it slower, that's it.


No, you're right, I didn't check this spot in the score. Maybe you should plan this accelerando differently (more evenly?), I don't know. I listened again and you play these voices so beatiful, but this accel wakes me up from listening to them. But of course it's a matter of interpretation also.


I know exactly what you mean, because the same was at my final recital, when I was performing this piece. I was so nervous when playing the final, because the rest went well...



I was just curious if you play professionally. You know, I stopped (but not practicing, I practice 3 hours a day like you). Sometimes I miss it, but then I recall the stress and everything what was going in my head. I just can't find a way, because I graduated recently and I'm on my own without teacher, exams, etc. I dropped all my repertoire and started fresh, but I don't know where I'm going with it. I don't know where I could be in for example twenty years. I don't teach and don't have any contact with musicans in my not-internet life, so I'm importuning people at PW.

I don't think so, not at all

To continue our exchange I'll soon write a letter to your private mailbox indicated in your profile. We are both "gmail people", so it's the "same family"

Goodbye for now

Felix

Hey, Tony!~~

Several thoughts after scrutinizing your YouTube performance.

1) Have you ever had a chance to play Beethoven on a period piano? If not, I think your technique is perfect for it. You realize details in the score so perfectly, that I think you should apply all that you do at the big keyboard on the smaller case, and see how it sounds. (In the right historical hall, even! )

2) You obviously "get it." Beethoven, that is.

3) Are you humming?! Does the glenn gould chair make you hum along? I remember when I first noticed that my son made pleasurable vocalizations when eating food. They were harmonic, too! And, he did not realize he was doing it. He was in his twenties when I first noticed him doing so. Not that it matters. Music is music, after all.

4) I am intimately familiar with this piece. You do it good. "Well," I mean. (My English is not perfect, tho' I speak it as a native.)

5) If you had any moments in this performance that you could "take back" or "do over," what would they be? (Give time stamps, please.)

--Andy

I really enjoyed this. Tony, I'm curious what mics/equipment you used for the recording - could you share what you used?

Hi Andy!

Finally I'm able to answer your remarks about my Beethoven. They are very inspiring as always, analyzing my efforts in a very refreshing and unconventional way.

1.) I'm teaching at the Music Academy of Basel. You have certainly heard about Schola Cantorum Basiliensis? It's a department of the Music Academy, so they are my neighbours, and there is a lively exchange. I have tried myself to play on period pianos, it's a fascinating experience. I can also send my pupils to a colleague who helps them "rediscovering" their piece by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and so on.... on a historic instrument. So I'm rather familiar with the world of ancient keyboard instruments, even though I never studied on them in a professional way. But I have to admit that I never tried to play this particular sonata on such an instrument till now. I agree with you that this would be a very good experience. You know: sometimes there is just not enough time for everything Now this work will rest for a while. But I'm sure to come back to it, and trying it on a period instrument will be part of its "comeback", promised

2.) Thank you, Andy, I'm glad to hear that If I was a truly great pianist and not just a humble piano teacher, Beethoven's piano sonatas would be sort of "backbone" of my repertoire, I was deeply fascinated by Beethoven already as a child....

3:) Yes, I'm humming sometimes, I can't control it, it just happens I'm not quite sure if this phenomenon has to do with my "Glenn Gould chair", but anyway: I'm in good company Radu Lupu also plays on a chair with a backrest, and he is also humming the whole time, and I also remember Maurizio Pollini humming a lot. You are right: music is music

4.) "Well" or "good", these are difficult questions, I know And I'm glad that also native speakers have to be careful.... Anyway: thank you for appreciating my efforts so much!

5.) Your most difficult question: Sometimes I hear lots of details I don't like, sometimes I'm in another mood and listen in a different way, and then I think: no, it's okay.... So let me say some general things: Everything should be more smooth, more flexible, more natural, for example the "harp sections" in the first movement, and I would like to play more "piano" where it is indicated in the second movement. And in the fugue I want to have a better "piano legato". And in the crowning final part of the second fugue there is some tension I want to avoid in the future – just the chords climbing to the culmination point, carried by a floating accompaniment, no more doubt, no more fear – that's what I'll try when coming back....

Anyway. Thanks a lot for accompanying my posts with so many interest and sympathy!

With best wishes for the upcoming new year

Felix

Hi Benjamink, first of all. thanks a lot for liking my Beethoven recording, I'm very glad! About my recording equipment: I was simply not content with the mic of my camcorder, so I decided to try an external mic. Before buying a new one, I remembered a very old mic (must be from the Eighties....), it's a Sony ECM-MS907. It still works after so many years and it even goes together with my camcorder!! It is about 2 meters away from my grand piano, about on the level of the strings. And on the camcorder I reduce the recording level to – 18 db. – You see? Nothing special, but the result seems to be quite okay