At last, I have finished revising my performance of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 29, Hammerklavier[1]. It took about six months. During that time, I made countless revisions. Above all, I feel that I have gained a somewhat deeper understanding of the polyphony that lies at the heart of this sonata than I had before. I won’t go into the details here, but I hope that some of that progress can be heard in the musical flow itself.
[1]:Piano Sonata No.29
I also have a feeling that someday I will return to this work yet again. Looking back, each revision has reflected my understanding and feelings at that particular point in time. Whether those changes are for better or worse, they become part of how I see the piece at that moment.
This time, my teacher suggested an interesting experiment: “Why not try performing it at Beethoven’s original metronome markings?” I decided to take on the challenge.
Those tempo markings have been debated for generations. Some argue that they would have been extremely difficult—perhaps even impossible—to realize convincingly on the pianos of Beethoven’s day. Yet I also find it fascinating to consider another possibility: perhaps this was truly the tempo Beethoven heard in his mind, even after he had lost his hearing. I’d like to explore this subject in a separate article sometime.
Still, as interesting as the tempo debate is, I don’t think it is the most remarkable aspect of this sonata. What impresses me most is the extraordinary way its meticulously constructed architecture and its profound emotional expression are woven together. After spending six months revisiting the work, I feel I understand a little better why this sonata is so often regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the piano repertoire.
Song Title:
Title:.
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106, “Hammerklavier”
Sound source:
Sound Library:
Synchron Concert D-274
Audio file format: mp3
For streaming on a PC, please see this page.
Here
See 。
For streaming on a PC, please see
this page.