I revisited Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 21, "Waldstein". When I first sequenced it, my musical advisor described it as having high fidelity. And yes, I did feel that it lacked a certain "human warmth." This time, relying on my advisor's strict feedback, I made a series of detailed adjustments, such as to the chord balances, tempo, pedaling, and so on. How does it sound now? I feel like it has gained much more character.
By the way, Sonata No. 21 was composed on an Érard piano gifted by Count Waldstein, whose name became the nickname for this piece. Thanks to this piano, the range of notes expanded considerably, likely inspiring many new ideas.
However, the octave "E" in measure 18 of the second movement is played an octave lower, just like the preceding octave "F" in measure 17. Additionally, I have added the lower octave notes to the left-hand passage in measures 181–183 of the third movement: D♭, C, B♭, A♭, G, F, E♭, and A♭. Even with an Érard piano, these lower notes were still beyond its range. I play them while trying to interpret Beethoven’s intentions.
Even so, the pianissimo octave glissando starting from measure 465 in the third movement must be quite a challenging technique on an acoustic piano. You’d probably have to slide using the 1st and 5th fingers, but it’s marked pp!
Title: Piano Sonata No.21 in C major Op.53
Sound Source: Vienna Synchron Concert D-274
Audio file format: mp3
YouTube:. Beethoven Piano Sonata No.21