The Piano Sonatas mp3s - Op.2/1 4th movt

[Peter]

HISTORICAL PERFORMANCES

On a weekly basis selected movements will be available from the piano sonatas in mp3 format. Members are invited to post their comments on the works and recordings which will feature Schnabel. . Enjoy!

A password is required to access the page and for those of you who have forgotten this (it is not the same as your forum password), please contact either Chris or myself.

www.kingsbarn.freeserve.co.uk/mp3s.html

[Chris]

I have added a poll to make this a little more fun. Listen to the mp3, rate it from 1 to 10, 10 being the best, and explain your reasoning. Note that this is a rating for the performance, not the recording, as older recordings are sure to be worse in this regard, and the mp3 format does not really represent the original well enough for that anyway.

I'm going to give this one an 8. I think the tempo is very appropriate, and it has just the right amount of energy. There seems to be a bit of sloppiness or muddiness in some places, though this may be an effect of the recording or file compression. A very good performance, for sure.

[Peter]

I'm obviously going to be rather biased in my assessment of these but I think this is a very fine recording that captures the excitement and drama of this movement. Strangely for Schnabel (who has a tendency for fast tempi) I actually felt it was a little slower than I would have liked considering the prestissimo marking.

Regarding the sonata as a whole, it was probably written in 1795 though the slow movement is an adaption from a piano quartet written 10 years earlier in Bonn. Like the other 2 sonatas in the opus 2 set it was dedicated to Haydn who was present when they were performed by Beethoven for the first time at one of Prince Lichnowsky's friday concerts in 1795.