I had my music advisor listen to the audio file of all the movements of Sonata No. 29 that I sequenced.
Adviso's comments:
"As for the order of tackling the movements, I think it's best to proceed based on the difficulty of realizing the structure: Third → Fourth → First → Second. The third movement is the most challenging, and without mastering it, I don't think it's possible to create the fourth movement."
It looks like this is going to be a long journey. Finishing it might take quite some time. But since this piece is considered one of the greatest pinnacles of all piano music, I’m determined to take on the challenge, even if I fall short.
…And so, for this lesson, we began with the third movement, Adagio sostenuto.
Regarding this third movement, in Takahiro Sonoda’s edited edition "Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 Hammerklavier" (Shunjusha), Sonoda-sensei writes:
"Among all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, this is the most profoundly moving... In this Adagio, one can feel a dialogue between Beethoven and God."
As a listener, I’m overwhelmed by its beauty—but when it comes to actually playing it, I feel as if I’m standing at the base of an unscaled cliff, looking up in awe.