First, please listen to the audio player below.
A German friend with whom I worked for a long time is turning 70. I was asked to send a short video message to be played at their birthday party. As background music for the video, I arranged and played the opening of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight," First Movement. Since the video was short, I played it at a slower tempo to match the timing. The piece is less than two minutes long.
A recital celebrating the 50th anniversary of the debut of renowned Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman was held on October 3, 2012, in the Grand Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie.
At the end of the program, he reportedly played this piece after saying the folowing :
"When I first performed at the Philharmonie in 1976, the Wall stood nearby, and the surrounding scenery was completely different from what it is now. I am honored to be able to perform here today. It was disrespectful of me not to include a German composer's work in today's program. So, let me play one more piece."
Coincidentally, that day—October 3—was German Unity Day. This brought back memories of the uneasy, oppressive feeling I had when traveling from West Germany to West Berlin for work. It was truly a heartwarming episode from the great maestro Zimerman.
(Unfortunately, it seems that this performance is not included in the Berlin Philharmonic's video streaming service, Digital Concert Hall.)
Title: Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moon Light" 1st.Mov.(Arr. Zimerman )
Sound Source: Vienna Synchron Concert D-274
Audio file format: mp3