Monday, June 1, 2020

Beethoven 250: Piano Works

As I explained in the January 24, 2020 post, I purchased the Naxos collection of Beethoven's
complete works, which I plan to listen to this year, leading up to Beethoven's 250th birthday on December 16.

Since my last post on April 22, I’ve been listening to more music! I listened to discs 20-34, the remainder of Beethoven’s piano music in this collection---and the most important.

There is so much music on those discs! I listened to #89-214 on this list:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=2292995

Here is a good article about Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/guides/beethovens-music-piano-sonatas/

I really need to listen to these sonatas again---such a landscape, as they say. I had not heard most of them, and so it was fun to listen along to unfamiliar music, and then hear the familiar notes of "Moonlight Sonata" or the "Appassionata" or Opus. 111.

My biggest surprise from all these pieces was the Diabelli Variations, which I’d read about but never heard. What a variety of emotion and innovation, developed from a simple little waltz that even I could’ve written.

https://www.theavidlistener.com/2017/11/where-theres-a-waltz-theres-a-way-exploring-the-secrets-of-beethovens-diabelli-variations.html


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