![\"08-12-14](\"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/08-12-14-LISTN-Beethovens-Waldstein-Sonata-222x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Beethoven\u2019s Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op.53, known as the \u201cWald\u00adstein\u201d, is my favourite of the lot. It first came to my atten\u00adtion when I read Edgar Pang\u00adborn\u2019s neglect\u00aded sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion mas\u00adter\u00adpiece, A Mir\u00adror For Observers. Pang\u00adborn, a com\u00adpos\u00ader and pianist him\u00adself, used a per\u00adfor\u00admance of the piece as a key device in the plot. It remains one of the pieces I play most often.<\/span><\/p>\nIt starts soft\u00adly, with a series of rhyth\u00admic chords devoid of melody, then plays around teas\u00ading\u00adly, until the sec\u00adond sub\u00adject, a warm E\u2011major melody comes in. From there, it goes through many odd mod\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions, twists, and mood changes, right up to the sparkling coda (it was writ\u00adten in 1804, right when Beethoven was busi\u00adly toss\u00ading the Clas\u00adsi\u00adcal rules out the win\u00addow). The short, con\u00adtem\u00adpla\u00adtive sec\u00adond move\u00adment explores every ambigu\u00adous and unclas\u00adsi\u00adfi\u00adable emo\u00adtion you can feel.<\/span><\/p>\n The final move\u00adment is marked alle\u00adgro mod\u00ader\u00ada\u00adto, and poor pianists often spoil it by play\u00ading the begin\u00adning too fast. This spoils the effect of the prestis\u00adsi\u00admo finale. Andras Schiff does it right. That end\u00ading sneaks up on you like a cat, and pounces. In no oth\u00ader sonata does the piano sound so much like an entire orches\u00adtra: pas\u00adsages mim\u00adic strings, horns, tympany.The arpe\u00adgios aren\u2019t cake dec\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtions: each one is essen\u00adtial to the rea\u00adson\u00ading of the piece. There is every Beethoven in it: the fist-shak\u00ading Beethoven, the sweet Beethoven, the con\u00adtem\u00adpla\u00adtive Beethoven, the trick\u00adster Beethoven. Time and again there are moments of pro\u00adfound beau\u00adty, includ\u00ading every god\u00addam note of the coda.<\/span><\/p>\n I would count this sonata as one of the very great\u00adest piano works of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Beethoven\u2019s Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op.53, known as the \u201cWald\u00adstein\u201d, is my favourite of the lot. It first came to my atten\u00adtion when I read Edgar Pang\u00adborn\u2019s neglect\u00aded sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion mas\u00adter\u00adpiece, A Mir\u00adror For Observers. Pang\u00adborn, a \u2026<\/p>\n