Now, after performing Beethoven's piano sonatas up to this point, I feel that these three late-peripd sonatas pieces, in particular, are rather uncharacteristic of Beethoven’s earlier style. Perhaps it's because, compared to the mid-period masterpieces like Waldstein and Appassionata, these sonatas seem to bring out a much more emotional character. It almost feels as if Beethoven had reached a point where he could just barely express his deeply introspective thoughts through the piano. Perhaps he ended there, realizing that there was no further experiment left to pursue.
These last three pieces were composed slowly and intensively about six years before Beethoven's death, when he was probably in his 50s. This age would have been among the very old at that time. In other words, time must have passed much more quickly than it does for us today. At any rate, there is a certain mature depth to these works—quite different from the fiery enthusiasm of his ambitious years. In other words, perhaps they are more suited for older listeners...
With that in mind, I plan to carefully review the remaining two late-period sonatas, No. 30 and No. 31, and try to shape them into a cohesive work of my own. There are many recordings of these three sonatas by renowned pianists, and when listening to them, I notice a significant difference in character between their youthful recordings and those made later in life, regardless of individual interpretation. I believe I’m not the only one who feels a sense of understanding—something like, 'Ah, that’s how it is.' Well, let’s see how things turn out...