Valentina Lisitsa, piano - Beethoven Moonlight Sonata (Mov 2 & 3)

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Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata has three movements:

1.Adagio sostenuto
2.Allegretto
3.Presto agitato

The first movement, in C♯ minor is written in a rough, truncated sonata form. The movement opens with an octave in the left hand and a triplet figuration in the right. A melody that Hector Berlioz called a "lamentation", mostly by the right hand, is played against an accompanying ostinato triplet rhythm, simultaneously played by the right hand. The movement is played pianissimo or "very quietly", and the loudest it gets is mezzo-forte or "moderately loud". The movement has made a powerful impression on many listeners; for instance, Berlioz wrote that it "is one of those poems that human language does not know how to qualify." The work was very popular in Beethoven's day, to the point of exasperating the composer, who remarked to Carl Czerny, "Surely I've written better things."

The second movement is a relatively conventional scherzo and trio; a moment of relative calm written in D-flat major, the enharmonic equivalent of C♯ major, the parallel major of C♯ minor. This replaces 7 sharps (C♯ major) with 5 flats (D♭ major), granting less confusion when reading the music. Franz Liszt described the second movement as "a flower between two chasms."

The stormy final movement (C♯ minor), in sonata form, is the weightiest of the three, reflecting an experiment of Beethoven's (also carried out in the companion sonata, Opus 27, No. 1 and later on in Opus 101) placement of the most important movement of the sonata last. The writing has many fast arpeggios and strongly accented notes, and an effective performance demands lively and skillful playing.

Of the final movement, Charles Rosen has written "it is the most unbridled in its representation of emotion. Even today, two hundred years later, its wildness is astonishing."

It is thought that the C-sharp minor sonata, particularly the third movement, was the inspiration for Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu[9]. The Fantaisie-Impromptu is also in the key of C♯ minor, with a middle section of D♭ major, similar to the three movements of this sonata.

The musical dynamic that predominates in the third movement is in fact piano. It seems that Beethoven's heavy use of sforzando notes, together with just a few strategically located fortissimo passages, creates the sense of a very powerful sound in spite of the overall dynamic.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Valentina Lisitsa
• pianist
• classical piano
• classical music
• Beethoven
• Moonlight Sonata

[nekobassplayer]

@anthonyflaco2 you can do it only worlc harder

[meredith218461]

As much as I admire Lisitsa's outstanding gifts, I'm not overly impressed with her Beethoven. The sturm und drang of the 3rd mvt suits her best in this performance of the Moonlight.

[anthonyflaco2]

this sounds amazing, especially the third movement. nice job i wish i could play like this

[cavafyinenglish]

Great playing and great video too, especially the jewel like reflection of the lights on the music stand.

[samialnahhas5]

fuck to the all adminestration of youtube

[xauquax]

wonderful

i have heard other pianists play this and it always becomes repetitive and boring.

that's certainly not the case here!

very nice!

[mugsytop]

@coman4ero Angels are real aint they.

[mugsytop]

@PIANOlSM you play it better then, bah mistakes you!

[JCPerezMendoza]

... love love love love her. Take this for what it is: just plain wonderful.

[PIANOlSM]

some mistakes could be heard, but very powerful and passionate.