I have finished checking the midi files for all the movements of "Hammerklavier," which I have newly started working on. I have finished checking all the midi files for all the movements of "Hammerklavier," and now that I am almost done with correcting the mis-touch and sound movement, it is time to start working on the music.
As I meticulously checked each note, one thought kept crossing my mind: "If working on this in MIDI is this challenging, then playing it on a real piano must be an almost insurmountable task."
Beyond just having the technical skill to play the notes as written, tackling this immense sonata requires incredible mental, physical, and emotional endurance. It’s no surprise that only a handful of pianists can truly master it.
In fact, I myself can count on one hand the number of times I’ve listened to the entire sonata in one sitting. While Hammerklavier is often regarded as the pinnacle of piano sonatas, I suspect that relatively few people have actually listened to it all the way through with full attention. It’s a piece that demands not just performance but deep engagement from both the player and the listener.
Thankfully, in a DAW, the computer handles the technical execution of playing the notes. What remains is the interpretation—but that’s where the real challenge begins.
The complexity of this piece is staggering. The layers of structure keep building upon each other, far beyond what I can fully grasp. At times, it feels like the musical threads I’m following suddenly vanish into thin air.
It’s said that Beethoven himself remarked, “In 50 years, people will be able to play this.” And honestly… I completely understand why!
I plan to shape the sound little by little, step by step—but even just getting to a “for now” version is going to take quite some time.