Beethoven piano sonata movement for Orchestra

[gprengel]

Last week I was listening to a wonderful slow movement of a Beethoven's piano sonata. As I was listening I got the earnest desire to hear this variation movement in a symphonic orchestra form, so I tried to do an orchestration. Before I present it to you I would like to ask you what you think, which slow sonata movement would be suited for such an orchestration?

Gerd

[Peter]

I imagine you're thinking of Op.109? With Op.26 of course there already exists Beethoven's orchestration of the funeral march in Leonore Prohaska. I would have thought Op.90 slow movement would work well.

[gprengel]

Last week I was listening to a wonderful slow movement of a Beethoven's piano sonata. As I was listening I got the earnest desire to hear this variation movement in a symphonic orchestra form, so I tried to do an orchestration. Before I present it to you I would like to ask you what you think, which slow sonata movement would be suited for such an orchestration?

Gerd

Hi, Peter, I just read that I was so stupid to mention that it is a variation movement, so it was easy to realsize that I meant op. 109. Would you have guessed it correctly with out the hint of the variation movement?

So here it is, I hope you'll love it as I do ...


www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op109_III_orch.mp3

www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op109_III_orch.pdf


Gerd

[Michael]

Beautiful! I really enjoyed that! I'm sure Beethoven would love it too. He always had the orchestra at the back of his mind in his piano sonatas. Well done!

[Peter]

Yes very nice - I particularly like your use of pizzicato in 2nd variation and I think the hymn like theme works beautifully. I'm not sure about the last variation as it seems to lose the power it has on the piano and some of the bass entries in the fugue could be a bit more marked. Lovely to here but it seems to be more probable that Beethoven was already thinking ahead to the string quartet in these late sonatas.

[gprengel]

Yes very nice ... I'm not sure about the last variation as it seems to lose the power it has on the piano

I was aware of this but could not see how an orchestra could create this power without adding any additional notes. But I didn't want to add anything to Beethoven's notes. I think the way I did it here with lower volume still creates a good tension finally resolving in the reentrance of the theme

Right now I try to orchestrate also the 2nd movement, Presto - what a great Scherzo this it :-)

Gerd

[Peter]

I was aware of this but could not see how an orchestra could create this power without adding any additional notes. But I didn't want to add anything to Beethoven's notes. I think the way I did it here with lower volume still creates a good tension finally resolving in the reentrance of the theme

Right now I try to orchestrate also the 2nd movement, Presto - what a great Scherzo this it :-)

Gerd

I think it's great to hear your orchestral versions Gerd so I look forward to the scherzo! If we think about it logically, most composers had no objection to piano arrangements of their orchestral scores, so why not the other way round, especially as Michael says Beethoven thought orchestrally and in teaching piano I always try to suggest different instruments for certain passages to pupils.

[gprengel]

So here is my orchestration of the second movement of the sonata - Prestissimo. After working on this little project I can say that for me besides the 2nd movement of the 9th symphony in spite of its brevity this is my favourite Beethoven Scherzo!


www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op109_II_orch.mp3

www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op109_II_orch.pdf

I hopy you'll love it ...

Gerd

[Peter]

So here is my orchestration of the second movement of the sonata - Prestissimo. After working on this little project I can say that for me besides the 2nd movement of the 9th symphony in spite of its brevity this is my favourite Beethoven Scherzo!


www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op109_II_orch.mp3

www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op109_II_orch.pdf

I hopy you'll love it ...

Gerd

Very interesting - I understand why you love this movement, in fact Op.109 has always been one of my favourite Beethoven sonatas to play. It's been a few years now so I might take it up again!

[gprengel]

I will try to orchestrate now the first movement (probably very difficult) and then also op. 110 and 111. For me it is the best way study the depths of these greatest piano sonatas of all time. I am very excited :-)

By the way: the Hammerklavier sonata op. 106 has been orchestrated already by F. Weingartner, but not in a real Beethoven style, more in the style of the early 20th century:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-u2n...7918FB94EFF33B

[gardibolt]

Hi Gerd, good to see you are still at it! This orchestration sounds lovely and I look forward to the first movement (and op. 111!)

--Mark

[gprengel]

orchestrating piano sonata op. 110

After the joy I had in orchestrating sonata op. 109 in E-Major I spent the last 2 weeks in orchestrating also op. 110. I always loved this sonata but not until now I really discovered so many hidden treasures in this work which appear by the performing of colourful orchestra instruments, especially regarding the fugue which so far had not been among my favourite Beethoven movements - but certainly now is :-)

www.gerdprengel.de/orchestrations.html

Please share with me your thoughts ...

Gerd

[Peter]

Hi Gerd - very nice, you have a very good ear for orchestral colour. Only criticism really would be I thought the first movt Op.110 a little too fast?

[gprengel]

Beethoven sonata op. 111 for orchestra

By now I also orchestrated the first movement of Beethoven's last piano sonata, op. 111 in c-minor. It was quite challenging but above all very satisfying work for me ....

If you listen to it, then please with high volume, at best with some good headphones ...

www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op111_I_orch.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op111_I_orch.pdf

Gerd

[Peter]

Thanks for sharing - I think the difficulty here is that Beethoven is using the extremes of the keyboard with wide spacings in these late sonatas and so if I have a criticism it is firstly that it sounds a bit top heavy in the treble and as I know you are being faithful to the score lacks the fillers that would be necessary for a better orchestral balance.

Don't mean sound negative, but rather honest. I think it is great to hear this in a different medium and your use of the woodwind is extremely imaginative and effective.