L.V. Beethoven Moonlight Sonata C# min, Op. 27, No. 2, 1st mvt

This somber first movement holds a challenge in voicing the melody and sustaining rhythmic momentum through the phrases. I am not editing the video, as to do so causes a lag from audio to video when uploading and I'm not that tech savvy. It's marked Adagio sostenuto so it's at about 58 BPM, but at that slow tempo it's hard to keep the dotted half notes ringing with the continued broken chord underneath. The advice senza sordino, is not to use the soft (una chorda) at all. On listening a second time, I wish the bass line came out a bit stronger in the audio. enjoy.

[@moy9022]

Very well played, thanks for sharing.

[@sebdrag2836]

I'm literally in awe! Your rubatos and ritenutos are so spot on... I've been trying to improve my execution of this piece for quite some time and your video has inspired me some more ideas. Thank you so much for sharing😊

[@VeronikaPianist]

So beautiful😍

[@vitaeipsofacto]

Thanks!

[@mortu777]

Ow my , if you keep putting out videos I will run out of compliments soon. 😍

[@vitaeipsofacto]

appreciate the encouragement!

[@mr.fredericchopin6214]

Very very well played. You know, they found in Beethoven's sketchbooks several bars of Mozart's Giovanni when Don Giovanni kills the Commendatore. Lower down on the page, Beethoven penned the first bars of Moonlight Sonata, one semitone higher! Holy cow, Moonlight Sonata is a dirge!!! So, you can't get very far playing like it represents a moonlit scene over Lake Lucerne in Switzerland... I believe that if you understand what Beethoven expected this piece to represent, you will find yourself playing it like Joanne because it is somber and its "Tah-Dah-Dah Tah-Dah-Dah Tah-Dah-Dah has to just march on and on like the sad martial piece that it is.

[@vitaeipsofacto]

Hey, thanks for that. I see it as very serious and sad too. It is as if the moonlight means farewell forever, a person leaving never to be seen again. The mid section diminished seventh chords are a sign of the person struggling to stay alive. The grim reaper wins though and the person in the end says farewell to the world as they know it. They consider their life's final chapter and the book gently closes to a peaceful silence. Imagination is fascinating!!

[@mr.fredericchopin6214]

@@vitaeipsofacto Joanne, very interesting interpretation. My Grandmother was a concert pianist. She tried to teach me piano. I am a player, not a concert pianist. And I am 74 years old! But I have composed a lot of pieces of my own. But I recorded Moonlight Sonata's first movement on UA-cam. Here is my link if you want to hear my interpretation of the piece: ua-cam.com/video/jfRb7iiJSQ0/v-deo.html.