This time, I worked on Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53—the famous "Waldstein". Among Beethoven’s piano sonatas, this one is particularly popular and widely enjoyed. There are also many renowned recordings of it.
However, when viewed not just from the perspective of listening but from that of playing, the piece can be interpreted in many different ways.
It took me quite some time to reach the point where I could say, "Well, this should be fine."—a whole eight months, in fact! Given my still-developing MIDI skills and musical ability, I suppose that’s to be expected.
I especially struggled with the Adagio of the second movement (starting at 10’44”), which leads into the third movement attacca. A friend once told me, "It's hard to find a performance of the second movement of 'Waldstein' that I truly like." Since it’s a short movement, playing it too lightly results in criticism, while putting in too much emotion makes it sound unnatural. I went through a lot of trial and error to find the right balance.
Another challenge is the octave glissando in the latter half of the third movement. It is considered quite difficult both technically and expressively for pianists. But since I’m working with MIDI, I was able to get through it without the risk of injuring my fingernails!
Title: Piano Sonata No.21 in C major Op.53
Sound Source: Vienna Synchron Concert D-274
Audio file format: mp3