Beethoven - Pathétique Sonata - I - Allegro di molto e con brio

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as Sonata Pathétique, was written in 1798 when the composer was 27 years old, and was published in 1799. Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually named Grande sonate pathétique (to Beethoven's liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata's tragic sonorities.
The Sonata Pathétique, one of Beethoven's most well-known works, is perhaps the earliest of Beethoven's compositions to achieve widespread and enduring popularity. It is widely represented on the concert programs and recordings of professional pianists. As one of the most famous Beethoven pieces, it has been incorporated into several works of popular culture: e.g. it is used as the theme of the film The Man Who Wasn't There and Billy Joel's "This Night" from his album An Innocent Man and a Fantasia-like animated sequence of it is included in A Boy Named Charlie Brown. The rock band Kiss incorporated it into "Great Expectations" from their album Destroyer. The work was sampled by the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan in their song "Impossible" from the album Wu-Tang Forever. The main motif from the first movement is also used in a solo from the band Jethro Tull in the song With You There To Help Me live at the Isle of Wright.
Prominent musicologists debate whether or not the Pathétique may have been inspired by Mozart's piano sonata K. 457, since both compositions are in C minor and have three very similar movements. The second movement, "Adagio cantabile", especially, makes use of a theme remarkably similar to that of the spacious second movement of Mozart's sonata. However, Beethoven's sonata uses a unique motif line throughout, a major difference from Haydn or Mozart's creation.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Beethoven
• Pathetique
• Sonata

[MonsieurAramis]

Right hand chords at 1:34-37 lacks momentum. And in theme starting at 2:10, when you have those two lower notes played with right hand crossing with left, you play the 3rd low note too short, put more sense in it. Ofc you can say it's only my point of view on how this should be played, but I'm right for sure, treat it as if Ludwig Van would write this himself.

[EdwardWhelanPiano]

@MonsieurAramis, you are right in what you say. I think I missed a couple of the bass notes in the second subject. It's probably down to my lack of technique, but I will keep practising on style and interpretation. It's for my ABRSM Diploma which I'm taking this winter. Thanks for listening.

[lake5pilot]

Do you play classical music only or do you play other music like soundtrack music?

[MonsieurAramis]

If you didn't learn the whole piece by heart before it's pretty kewl, but if you were working on it then you should work more on interpretation, you lay those chords in the beginning like they would have no meaning, uhm, rimes boi.

[hez4terry]

I like this mainly because you play it to me all the time, but I do not like the beginning, too dreary and dowdy, but that's the music and not your fault. xxx