#Moonlight sonata series

Since winning the 2010 International Fortepiano Competition in Bruges, Hungarian-born pianist Petra Somlai has appeared across Europe, the United States, and Japan as a soloist in concert series and major international early music festivals. Both themes are magnificently interlaced and create the impetuous storm emotion Fischer experienced. The listener can distinguish two themes in this part: a tempestuous one built on arpeggios and strongly accented notes and a second theme, more lyrical in the form which comes into contrast with the first one. A very impetuous storm, if we take into account the fact that at the time when he was composing the sonata, Beethoven was madly in love with Giulietta with whom he had hopes of getting married. Fischer felt this part as being the representation of a storm. The finale of Moonlight Sonata is twice as long as the first two parts. The feeling is now denser in consistency, and the fairly meditative character of the first part gradually fades away, preparing for the tumult of the third part. The second movement is very small in size which leads to the idea that it was conceived more as a connection between the first and third part, rather than a part all by itself. Therefore, his instruction cannot be followed by pianists playing modern instruments without creating an unpleasantly dissonant sound. It is also true that the modern piano has a much longer sustain time than the instruments of Beethoven’s day. The composer adds the following direction at the beginning of the first part: “Si deve suonare tutto pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino” which means that the performer should play the part with great delicacy and without dampers. The first movement of Moonlight Sonata is based on an accompanying motif in triplet rhythm that, together with an accented notes motif, creates the impression of a grave, meditative state of mind. Analyzing and comparing, one could realize that it cannot be the case of a romantic moonlit night, but rather of a solemn funeral hymn.

In one of Beethoven’s manuscripts there are several notes from Mozart’s Don Juan, notes that follow the killing of the Commander by Don Juan, and lower, this passage is rendered in C sharp minor in absolute resemblance to the first part of the sonata in C sharp minor. He rather attributes this atmosphere to the feeling that overwhelmed the composer when he took watch at the side of a friend who prematurely left the world of the living Related: Daniel Barenboim plays Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”Īccording to the Swiss classical pianist and conductor Edwin Fischer (6 October 1886 – 24 January 1960), who published a number of books on teaching, and one on the piano sonatas of Beethoven, this image has no connection with Beethoven’s intentions. Even more so, this sonata was dedicated to Giulietta, the musical theme of the first part being borrowed from a German ballad as Wyzewa observed. Some biographers make the connection between the unshared love the composer held for Giulietta Guicciardi and the sonorities of the first part.

It was nicknamed “The Moonlight Sonata” after Beethoven’s death by the German poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab (13 April 1799 – 27 November 1860) who, in 1832, had this inspiration on a moonlit night on the banks of the Reuss River which runs from Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. 2, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata, was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi (23 November 1782 – 22 March 1856). 14 in C-sharp minor “Quasi una fantasia”, Op. Producer: Daniël Brüggen/MusicFrame Films. Instrument: Fortepiano after Anton Walter, 1795, made by Chris Maene, Ruiselede. 2 “Sonata quasi una fantasia” (Moonlight sonata). Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Beethoven Moonlight Sonata – Petra Somlai, fortepiano () Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No.