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Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van

Schiff, Andras

Blasco Royo, Jorge

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Catalogue Number: RSS2325_1

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Professor Schiff talks about different aspects of Beethoven's music with the reference of this Piano Sonata and this first movement. The main theme is revolutionary and dramatic, and it must be understood starting with an upbeat; they are rhetoric questions, each of them more urgently (ref. to Mozart). It is necessary to take more time to play the ornaments, they are present to do music more beautiful; the mentioned passage should be as a recitativo. The fragment has to be played with one hand, as if we were touching hot keys, and keeping the tempo because it is an Allegro agitato, not an Allegro commodo.

We should use the indicated fingering playing the fourth note staccato, and later remarking the dissonance with the bass. We should play what Beethoven writes, subito piano, because it is very accurate, so the passage is very expressive and soft, and agitato in the left hand. In short notes, the arm should be lighter, with very little movement, so it is advisable to study very conscious. The sforzato is inside the piano, not very angular, and we must feel the keyboard while playing. In the mentioned passage, there is a crescendo and a subito piano, and it should also be more rhythmical (ref. to Flamenco, L. van Beethoven and F.J. Haydn). It is very useful to orchestrate some fragment, imagining flute, clarinet and oboe, and it is also better to play it without moving away from the key and without pedal. He also comments the transition to the last theme, the tension required in several moments and the way to play in forte in repeated notes, with the support of melody, bass and internal voices.