Sonata in Dm Opus 31 No 2

Right off I thought this one is a 5. 

But I am only going to say 4 or 5 because Opus 31 No 2 is only
the second Sonata out of 17 of Beethoven's Book II that I have read
through.  And there could be better ones than this - but I think it may
end up as a 5.

And right off I am going to say that I didn't even touch the third and
last movement - which is the Allegretto - because I could hear it
in all of its perfection just by looking at it.

Beautifully consistent and perfectly Beethoven at his Sonata best - the entire 10 pages are 8th and 16th notes. No abrubt changes in dynamics or tempo - or even key changes - are present.

What we've got here in the Allegretto is Beethoven in a good mood.  Beethoven
saying - Folks look at this.  Here is good composing - maybe not Passionate -
just good.  D*mn Good.



Now let's look at the wonderful and beautiful first movement - the Largo.

The tempo is Cut Time and it begins with a rolled chord - pianissimo.
But it immediately plunges us into Allegro by the thrid measure and
after four measures we are back to another rolled chord, etc.

This is how the first 8 measures look

Largo
Allegro
Adagio
Largo
Allegro

But the first movement is so Beethoven - and doable.


I found the second movement - the Adagio to be equally wonderful but
could not get the full enjoyment of its wonder - because for me the timing
was too difficult.  But still I'm thinking 5.

And to my delight - there were crossover in the second movement. : ]


Now while I excitedly sturggled through the second movement I started
thinking about the Rach 3.  Which really had nothing to do with this
Sonata - as such - but rather I thought about the Sonatas composed by
Beethoven that are so often perfomed and so familiar to us.  And that
folks is the connection to the Rach 3.

You see although I personally deeply love the Rach 3 it is Rachmaninoff's Second
Concerto that was so beloved by the Public - and audiences in general
demanded that performers give this to them.  And rightfully so - since the
main theme is amazingly moving in its content.

And I believe that this is part of the reason that I love the Rach 3 - because
I saw it in such wonderful things that Others didn't.  And I vowed that I
would remain true to the Rach 3 - no matter what anyone said about it.

And so I have.

The problem is - should I go after it?

Does it want me to go after it?  Or if I do commit myself to the Rach 3 -
will I find lasting fullfillment in it?

In my Heart the answer is :

Absolutely.



Because this in 2012  - and I see Others pursuing their dreams - being all that
they want to be.  And so I say to myself - Sue - go for it.

And that's just what I'm gonna do.



as soon as I figure out how


Now everybody knows that the Rach 3 isn't gonna come after me.
It's got other people who can play it - maybe even better than me.
But you know what folks - I am true to the Rach 3 - it is the Core
of my Very Existence - and it always will be.  The Rach 3 will
be the music that I think about with my very last dying thought.  : ]

So my mind is made up.  It's the Rach 3 or nothing.

I've waited this long to play it - I can wait until the time is right.

And I will take it one step at a time - untl I knock down all
the barriers standing in my way.  I'm gonna do it Right - untill there is
nothing Left to stop me.





and if Barack Obama can be President - then well anybody can do anything.

Beethoven's Sonatas - Book II

For the next sixteen days - including today - my Classical Piano Seminar
is going to be about Beethoven's Sonatas - Book II.

I  - stidh - am going to read through all of Beethoven's Sonatas that are
in Book II.  There are a total of seventeen Sonatas in Book II.
I read through the first Sonata yesterday.

And at the end of each day I as going to rate that particular Sonata -
on a scale of 1-5:  with 5 being the best.

But before I do that I want to make something very clear:


THIS IS JUST FOR FUN - I MEAN THE RATING OF BEETHOVEN
SONATAS. 

IN NO WAY DO I ACTUALLY THINK I AM QUALIFIED TO RATE
BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.

IN FACT I AM NOT EVEN GOOD ENOUGH TO SAY BEETHOVEN'S
NAME.

I CHOOSE TO DO THIS.

FOR FUN.


AND WHAT'S HE GONNA DO ABOUT IT ANYWAY?


AND WHAT'S ANYBODY GONNA DO ABOUT IT?


THIS IS MY BLOG.



But I would absolutely love to have comments and discussion
on Beethoven's Sonatas Book II - and even Book I.




Please.





And just for the record - I rated the first Sonata in Book II a 1.

the goldberg variations

The Goldberg Variations BWV 988 were written by Johann Sebastian Bach
and first published in 1741.

They were named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg who - according to google -
may have been the first person to perform them.


In any case - the only person who could really play them is Glenn Gould.


I can play the Goldberg Variations.

All of them.

In slow motion.

Even the crossovers.







And that's good enough for me.

me and glenn gould

Hard as I try I cannot remember the first time I heard of
Glenn Gould.

I just know that one day I stumbled upon a three minute u-tube
video that is an excerpt of a documentary called The art of Piano.


I haven't watched it for maybe three years - but I did watch it
again just now.

And let me tell you folks - I got just as excited about it as the
first time when:


~I saw his piano

~what he could see out his window

~there is a cup of tea (?) sitting on the piano why I
never set anything on my piano except my Bobblehead
Bach

 ~his dog was in the video - yawning

~you could see and hear a couple of seagulls

~in the video you can actually hear Glenn Gould 'talking'
as he plays - something that musical pundits have obsessed
about for years

~and after he plays a little he abruptly gets up and walks over to
the window - still 'talking' - then after a few seconds he goes back
and plays - literally knocking em' dead with his effortless technique
that made him the foremost respected performer of Bach - notably
The Goldberg Variations


It doesn't get any better than that folks - seeing a Genius where it
all comes from.





 his house





his dog






and furthermore Glenn Gould was unpretentious -  and sharp

Sonata in C M (K V 330 ) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I'm gonna step out on a limb here and say that this Sonata by Mozart is his
best Sonata - and that it ranks up there with the best music ever written.

The reason I say 'step out on a limb' is because I have not read through
all of his Sonatas.  So I'm making a call early in the game - and that can
be tricky - and even wrong.

But this post is not really about the first two movements.


It is about the Third Movement.


The Allegretto.


Yes - the first movement - the Allegro Moderato - is so perfect.

The second movement - the Andante Cantabile (and every second
movement of a Sonata should be Andante Cantabile) is so beautiful -
yet in control and not spilling over with Passion (and you know who
you are Beethoven) - that it scarcely can be touched .

Rather it is in the third movement - the Allegretto - where I believe that
Mozart simply got bored. After all - he must have thought - I have given
them two movements of perfection and isn't there a party tonight at the
local pub where I can hoist a few?

But Mozart was no dummy.  He knew that if he didn't at least include a
third movement it might not make the Sonata Piano Books.

So I'm thinking he simply wrote the Allegretto to get it out of the way - and
who knows folks ?

Maybe some other genius piece of work was starting to crowd its way into
his brilliant composer mind - and he wanted to work on that before he lost it.



or maybe it was the party....




I guess we'll really never know.




I do know one thing though folks - I thank God for giving us Mozart.

it's about mozart

I like geniuses.


and if you want to play piano music written by a genius -
a true genius - ya gotta play Mozart.


Ever read through his Sonata in D M (KV 284)?

I just did but only got to the Theme and Variations mvt.


But let me tell ya folks.  This guy really was a genius.  He must have been
so smart - about music - that he was way over the top - I mean f*ing nuts.
That Sonata is so great - at least the part I have worked on so far - and
next I'm going to check out the Theme and Variations.

I can hardly wait.

I really think I have found a soulmate in Mozart because although I have never
heard or read that Mozart showed any symptoms of being bipolar this Sonata - I
assure you - does.  Talk about highs and lows - from measure to measure Mozart
goes from forte to piano and back again without warning.


And it's really hard.
~~

So here is my ranking of the Big 4.

Not in ability - mind you - or even in how beloved their music is  - because that
is up to the individual performer or listener.

But here I would like to give my assessment of how I - stidh - feel about these
four Master Composers and how they have impacted my life - and will continue
to do so:


Bach

~the father of music

~you can't touch him - either about his music or his personal life


Beethoven

~the master of Passion and Suffering

~his place in Music is forever sealed by his Struggles~his Passion~his High Moral Standards


Chopin

~sure he only composed for piano - but look at what he gave us

~he loved a woman with a man's name

~and what I like about him most is that George Sand said that 'he lived
on a different Planet'


Mozart

~the true Genius

~according to all reports he lived his short life in a frenzy

~his music is so wonderful - kind of like from undeterminable origins
~~~

This is it for music folks.
 

Sure - there are Others.


But these are the Big 4.






and that is all we need - to last us an Eternity

Chopin's Etudes

I have a Love/Hate relationship with Frederic Chopin's Etudes.


I love his etudes but I hate it that I can't play them.


I'm just not good enough.


Do you know how that feels - to want something so badly - but
you just can't have it?  To tell the Truth - I think Joe knows.
~~~

When I was studying piano about six or seven years ago with
a real Professor/Classical Concert Pianist/Best Jazz Pianist Ever - he
assigned me Opus 25 no.1 Allegro Sostenuto in A flat M - and
I had no trouble simulating this great work of art.

but I simply cannot play it well enough to perform it in Carnegie
Hall.

Hard as I try  - I just cannot.


but let me tell ya folks i can kill it with the best of 'em

: ]