Beethoven Moonlight Sonata - Petra Somlai, fortepiano

[@dtag7129]

everyone in the comments has already said everything there is to be said about this performance, but i would like to add that it's very cool that she laid out all 3 movements flawlessly in a leather jacket

[@troyself]

😂apparently, it was "old-Europe dank"

[@nikolt2000]

lol so european

[@waynesmith3767]

It was Beethoven’s.

[@karakamen]

I think Beethoven would totally rock a leather jacket 😂

[@adampepin9944]

Mozart AND Joey Ramone would be proud!

[@joshwinfree6057]

Why does this piano sound so much more alive than new ones🥹

[@Geoplanetjane]

Because it sings without all the heavy wood and metal

[@Renshen1957]

The fortepianos strings were straight strung not cross strung as all pianos are today.

[@fergusbyett8088]

That 3rd mvt is just too good

[@arvindiyer1649]

3rd movement sounds like rage on the forte piano which is what I think beethoven intended it to be.

[@nic123ification]

I love the rage on a fortepiano, it's completely lost on a modern grand.

[@Wolfganger]

1st Movement: 0:04 2nd Movement: 5:07 3rd Movement: 7:18

[@storlok1922]

My friend, why do I see you in almost every comment section? 😅

[@storlok1922]

Mainly in Layton & Johnstone's recordings but occasionally in classical music, like today.

[@sundancer7381]

Revelation. The depth of sound in the 1st movement .....and the raucous bass in the third movement......brings Beethoven's ideas to life. Thanks.

[@davisatdavis1]

Never have I heard a recording anything like this before. It's like I'm listening 200 years in the past.

[@ArthurSeeClarke]

I'm not crying, you're crying.

[@karlmatsumoto9281]

If Beethoven could come back from the grave he would thank Petra Somlai for giving life to the true expression of his piano music in the 21st century.

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

Karl, I am totally disagree with you. Petra Somlai doesn’t need a visit from Beethoven because she knows she is doing it right. On the other hand, Beethoven should have visited Wim Winters and Alberto Sanna and given them both a thorough beating! It is tragic that they are both tricking thousands of knowlegdeless people into believing in the theory! And think, Wim Winters has a fine performance of this sonata from 2014, but that was before he got a metronome in his hands. And since then, W. Winters and A. Sanna have resigned from reality.

[@geiryvindeskeland5985]

You are wrong Mr. Eskeland. The recording from 2014 is sonata pathetique, not Moonlight.

[@colineadesyeux]

Well, I mean, even undead he'd still be kinda deaf right ?

[@KT-dt35]

​@colineadesyeux Who's to say maybe the one who comes back could be Beethoven before being deaf.

[@MegaMech]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It's extremely important to have good quality recordings on historical instruments. It seems many believe historical pianoforte's didn't sound good at all. Thankfully, this proves otherwise. It's not an inferior piano to the modern grand. It's simply a different piano made with older technology with unique features, sounds, and approaches to playing. Some pianoforte's such as this one may even be more expressive than the modern grand.

[@voteforno.6155]

Yes, I find this sonata played on modern grand pianos sounds bland and flat (in the expressive sense, not pitch frequency) by comparison.

[@americanclassicalorchestra]

We couldn't agree more. For the very reason you articulated, it is our goal to elevate the stature of the fortepiano. Expect more content from us this spring.

[@baxterdown]

BRAVO!

[@babygottbach2679]

@@americanclassicalorchestra Is it possible to have a pianist play the first movement according to the explicit instructions that Beethoven gave: semper senza sordini? Always without the dampers?

[@cangjie12]

Historical pianos are called fortepianos, not pianofortes.

[@JustSomeGermanGuy]

I don’t know why but moonlight sonata just hits different on a fortepiano

[@Pinkblobperson]

Moonlight sonata was basically made for fortepianos

[@clavichord]

@@Pinkblobperson The moonlight sonata was primarily written for Beethoven's fortepiano, but the title page of the original does say for fortepiano or harpsichord... which was also common with Haydn and Mozart's keyboard works at that time. There was no clear transition between harpsichord and fortepiano use between the 1750s and early 1800s... and increasingly composers used more keyboard effects which could only be reproduced on fortepiano and not on the harpsichord. This was primarily done for economic reasons, so as not to exclude those who commonly had a harpsichord, and also because early fortepianos were not yet perfected and had mechanical and production issues, being a relatively new instrument.

[@PinkPanther4958]

i agree

[@jimbuxton2187]

Because...it has more intimacy in the sound......

[@japancountryball2000]

Because, the sound is been like the Beethoven's piano played

[@elisearmer8306]

Beethoven comes ALIVE on Fortepiano

[@merlyworm]

This might actually be the best version of Beethoven's moonlight sonata on the youtubes. It really sounds better on the fortepiano.

[@xbqchm]

I can listen to this 1000 times in a row without getting tired of it. I would happily help fund a project of Ms Somlai recording the complete sonatas of Beethoven.

[@saltyandrawwilson6590]

Please, keep them coming. In my modest opinion, nobody plays fortepiano like you do. Thank you.

[@ronwalker4849]

THIS IS PRACTICALLY THE ONLY BEAUTIFUL 19TH CENTURY PIANO WHICH I HAVE EVER HEARD WITH IT´S ETHERIAL AND BEAUTIFUL SOUND.

[@reeflizzard71]

Unbelievable! A revelation!! I cannot think how there could be a more revealing and fabulous performance, and what a sound from that fortepiano. Thank you with my whole soul. It really seems a shame somehow that all across the globe we, thousands of us, daily listen to and/or play the music of Beethoven (and so many others) on our heavy modern pianos and never get to hear that sound. Such an instrument seems like more than a piano, and under Petra's stunning touch, really almost a whole colorful orchestra in a box! Unreal, unreal....pure magic!

[@HenrikBergpianorganist]

VERY touching. So many fine details in last movement - one that gets slaughtered by so many.

[@elizabethmiller3384]

This is a stunning epiphany for me, a pianist for fifty years. This is what it should sound like, proving that newer is not always better. This instrument is a completely different animal than those I have always played, this is how the piece should sound. I’m overcome in the best possible way

[@pamzanon6599]

I totally agree with you

[@ks1700ks]

2nd movement 5:05 3rd movement 7:17

[@typo1345]

this is how it was supposed to sound. Not on a grand. It was written for a fortepiano. And that is fairly obvious here. if I were to choose which, moonlight on grand or moonlight on fortepiano, I take fortepiano. It has a rustic, archaic charm to it and it's sound.

[@LoverOFhopeANDcompassion]

The way Beethoven played it. Phenomenal accompllishment

[@kidmohair8151]

there is something about the pianoforte that makes it more clear, less bombastic more intimate, and approachable than the modern grand

[@paolotramannoni7445]

I love how the internal voices can sing so clearly. Love it.

[@itamarbar9580]

This performance of the last movement feels like Beethoven himself played it, and it would have rocked vienna.

[@michaelaurelius8507]

MY. GOD! I am literally in tears listening to this! I have never heard this piece sound this way before! I am speechlessly in awe of this!

[@1olafh]

A divine Mondschein by one of the best pianoforte players of our times. The differences between the dreamy Beethoven and the angry Beethoven are asthonishing, a fabulous technic, a refined taste and the ability to use all the possibilities of the pianoforte. All this combined with a subtile rubato that never is too much, makes this Mondschein the best I ever heard !

[@renaatlowagie86]

Ik kan niet anders, Olaf, dan daar heel erg overtuigd en heel erg geraakt, volledig mee akkoord te gaan. Wat een muziek, wat een instrument en wat een muzikante. Muziek voor mijn ganse lijf, mijn verstand en mijn hart. Ik ben Petra zo dankbaar.

[@cangjie12]

It’s called a fortepiano, not a pianoforte. ‘Pianoforte’ is just a general term for piano that is almost never used nowadays. ‘Fortepiano’, in English, refers to the kind of piano used in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

[@1olafh]

In the pianoforte restoration world we still use the word pianoforte, as in square pianoforte. In the Early Music world the word pianoforte is frequently used too. It is the correct name, after the name the inventor Christofori gave it : "Uno gravicembalo per piano e forte".

[@davidklein5007]

Yes, the rubato is the best I've heard in a period instrument performance, I think.

[@josephhapp9]

@@cangjie12 go back to bed!

[@777rogerf]

Petra Somlai was born in Hungary where she graduated in conducting and piano performance from the Bela Bartok Conservatory (Budapest) and completed her modern piano degree at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest) in 2007. Somlai is currently a professor of fortepiano at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.

[@-peyat]

I love this! the first movement sounds 100x more mournful on a fortepiano compared to a modern one

[@tastogiusto]

Sonata quasi una Fantasia, literally !

[@cletedavis5849]

What a lovely instrument, and wonderful playing! It is so pleasant to hear this done on a true Beethoven instrument, instead of the blasting and roaring of a nine foot Steinway! The Steinway is fine in post-1900 music, but Beethoven and Mozart et al, deserve something better!

[@Glenn-vl9qf]

The goosebumps I had from hearing this piece…wow

[@Alwpiano]

Like a hybrid of a piano and a harpsichord. Pretty sounds!

[@nic123ification]

So much more emotion than the Steinway and so much more authentic.

[@jasonhurd4379]

Over the past twenty years, it has become increasingly difficult for me to get satisfaction out of hearing Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven on anything but fortepiano. The clarity of timbre and delicacy of touch are addicting. In Beethoven's case, particularly, the clarity of the extreme bass register is so far superior to the modern grand that it's like hearing some works, like the 'Waldstein' and the 'Moonlight', for the first time. Thank you for posting this!

[@츈-j7y]

너무 완벽해서 감탄밖에 안나오는 연주

[@Fernwald84]

It is plainly obvious that the sound Beethoven had in his mind was that of the fortepiano. The modern grand, with its much greater resonance and sustain, blurs some of the detail and does not allow sufficient space between staccato notes. Petra Somlai's performance is finely nuanced with well-chosen tempos. The allegro finale is especially notable for its electric fluidity.

[@EggMCMUFFIN-e4l]

Mainly cause of overstringing than anything else. Straight strung pianos like this has distinct colors between the registers, especially in the bass and tenor region which is the area where the strings mainly cross in modern grands. You get more power, sustain with modern overstrung pianos but in loss of clarity and nuance between registers

[@777rogerf]

Petra Somlai chose the right instrument to artfully sculpt each phrase and sub-phrase, bringing new life and musical meaning to a work that one might expect to be already "used and abused" by the masses and beyond resuscitation. This recording is real triumph.

[@brentmeistergeneral2813]

Oh my worlds. Cant believe I have come across this. Stunning. Mozart is my hero but this is sublime

[@Cadenm1223]

This is one of the best performances of the moonlight sonata. At first, I thought that the sound of a fortepiano wasn’t good, but after listening to someone who can really play… all I can say is wow.

[@P0PG03S]

I lack such words to describe this sublime sound, this pristine execution. Simply outstanding! Maestro Beethoven himself would applaud.

[@sabinamartinez]

I can hear Beethoven alive on a fortepiano, not the same impresssion on a modern piano!

[@moritlh]

Bullshit lol. Even Beethoven didn't like the fortepiano and looked for something more like the modern Piano.

[@sabinamartinez]

Don't think so, he liked Broadwood fortepiano but all pianos were in constant evolution. There is a big distance from the pianos of his time untill the modern piano, so I don't think he was imagining exactly today's piano

[@davidglynn3101]

@@moritlh Well, no actually.

[@viangallifrancois2568]

@@moritlh Did you meet Ludwig Van ?

[@yakinthebox]

its a different listening experience when its played on the composers own instruments (I love it), you should listen to mozart/bach on clavichord too

[@ronwalker4849]

WHAT A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE CONTAINING ALL THE NUANCE OF SENSATIVE EXPRESSION. THANKYOU.

[@wblynch]

Amazing! I loved her interpretation of the third movement. The dynamics and timings were tremendous! Brava!

[@japancountryball2000]

Petra Somlai is the master if Moonlight sonata 3rd movement, because, the P and sf are correct!

[@MelsCrazyWorld]

This right here, is hands down the best version of Quasi una fantasia I have ever heard. Not only is it played on a fortepiano, but you can see that Petra FEELS the music. Her slightly slumped pose during the first movement, her melancoly, almost sad facial expression as she looks on the keys, just her whole body language throughout the entire sonate makes it so much more effektive for me. Bravo. This is a masterpiece

[@fokkebaarda]

Again amazing. The drama, the colours. Petra, all that Sturm und Drang! Thanks! I cherish your video's.

[@jochanaan58]

Magnificent playing! And the recording captures the edge in an instrument pushed to its limits, as Ms. Somlai does.

[@menialharpsichordist553]

ah yes the sound of fortepiano in the morning

[@sarrusophone]

☕️

[@aemilpeters5644]

WOW - SUPERB SYNCOPATION & DYNAMICS; A TRUE FRESH AND NEW INTERPRETATION - THX PETRA - SO WELCOME - NOW (AND HERE TO STAY)!

[@DJStefandeJong]

Best recording of this work on a period instrument I've heard to date. Recording is a bit soft but for that we have the volume knob (just remember to turn it down after :P)

[@ayumiko14]

Wonderful! Fortepianos are the best!

[@AlessandroRentería1129]

This has got to be hands down the best I’ve heard someone play this piece so well and full of movement and emotion such detail to every single note 🎵 it’s just perfect thank you for playing this ❤

[@JoseManuelLegardaGalarza]

Amazing, it's like if the maestro was playing it back in those days.

[@ernestdayne6711]

That was the most beautiful pianoforte playing I have ever heard! Simply incredible, and nothing short of amazing!!

[@telee19]

It actually is a fortepiano, not pianoforte. But yes amazing playing!

[@ernestdayne6711]

You’re right lol I guess I was so excited to tell her how beautiful her piano playing was that my mind was a bit jumbled 😆

[@terlis3423]

@@telee19 It's confusing a little bit because in some languages piano is fortepiano(in the language) and fortepiano is pianoforte (or something sounding similar; anyway)

[@menialharpsichordist553]

@@telee19 in English no, it;'s fortepiano, the modern piano is pianoforte

[@telee19]

@@menialharpsichordist553 yep, that is what I said

[@RobertHorton1975]

What a thrill! Listen to that guttural roar in the bass. Thanks so much for posting this.

[@1963mathetes]

Extraordinary. The performance is superlative, the colors and transparency of the fortepiano bring out the inner voices in a way that would be lost on a modern instrument, and having the microphones set back in the room adds a wonderful luster to the overall sound.

[@karlthomas2360]

by min 7, she is on a whole new level

[@folkeholmberg3519]

This is my absolute favourite of performance of this piece, mostly because of Petra Somlais' not only excellent but also sensitive playing. And furthermore for that brilliant instrument, every tone comes out so clear, I can really feel LvBs' intentions and feelings in every note.

[@thibomeurkens2296]

This performance is flawless.. I’m speechless!

[@derekaaron6745]

What an awesome job she does! Her timing is perfect. The voicing and volume control is outstanding.❤

[@c.g.marseille4510]

very nice on the fortepiano and beautiful played ! Thank you

[@johnpaterson6112]

This deserves a standing ovation.

[@jasonmichaelmorgan6207]

one of the best interpretations i've ever heard, and that is even aside from it being on an historical instrument. brilliant and articulate while being nonetheless full of thoughtful and deliberate emotion. wonderful!

[@davidroux7987]

A masterful performance!! I understand why Beethoven always wanted more power from the instrument. Nevertheless it's wonderful to hear him on a period instrument...

[@nic123ification]

Beethoven composed his works on a forte piano, it has a charm all of its own with a hint of harpsichord .... It's sublime.

[@austinsavage4390]

It sounded so cool on the fortepiano! You played it so well that I can imagine Beethoven himself playing this the way you played it. 😁😳😱 thank you

[@SaraG6270]

Awesome performance! Brava!

[@erichturk2774]

Fantasztikus! Nagyon gratulálok!! Ilyen kifejező, drámai fortepianojátekot nem halottam mástól!!!

[@pabloperez6005]

Excelente!!!!! Muchas gracias por llevarnos en una máquina del tiempo a como se escuchaba en la época que fue compuesto.

[@newenglandartiste]

Excellent interpretation of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. One of the best I've heard. Great hearing it on the forte piano. The timbre is more revealing, clear and haunting than a modern piano. The acoustics in the church setting sound fantastic. So, rich and full sounding.

[@derekc2547]

Absolutely incredible, I could listen to this a thousand times and still be in awe!

[@davidklein5007]

This is just great! Such control of rhythm and dynamics!

[@psykoanalytikern]

Hey! Wonderful playing. Especially like the rubatos you added.

[@jimmyhygaard2252]

Must say,I've watched this over and over,still rings so sweet a sound,can never lose the joy of hearing this,I'm a music fanatic,thanks Petra.

[@nikitameo8711]

Omg the 3rd movement sounds incredible on the fortepiano!!

[@xavieramaya8388]

Sublime, sublime interpretación....

[@maribelfarnsworth4565]

Listening to this performance gives me the feeling that I'm experiencing something of the stunning (and in places shocking) impact this sonata must have had to the first hearers to whom Beethoven played it. Especially in the last movement, right from the opening shock after the suavity of the middlle movement....

[@oliviarose9541]

Best interpretation of this composition in my opinion

[@nic123ification]

Yes indeed it is!

[@adrianotorres9081]

La mejor interpretación qué vi en mi vida. Esperando tocar algún día tan bien como ella.

[@southbronxny5727]

PERFECTION.....BRAVO👏👏👏

[@ruxandrapopescu9917]

Vary good.

[@brandonacevedo8997]

absolutely incredible interpretation

[@YsAbTones]

the depth of her perfomances is ... well done Petra this is music to me

[@williamdrake9864]

I am so thankful I sat here and listened to this magnificent recording. I could not take my eyes or my ears off of the performance. The pianoforte truly is remarkable and to hear this on it is special indeed.

[@stephenbarrell7821]

Playing Beethoven on a period piano is half the battle, but the easier half, at best. Playing as Beethoven intended, if one considers such things important, requires that the performer come into agreement with the composer (when deceased, largely but not solely represented by the score) and the particular sound of the composer's instrument, forming a trinity, if you will. By (erroneously) raising and lowering the dampers, this performer has in/advertently overlooked Beethoven's explicit opening instruction, "Si deve sounare questo pezzo delicatissamente e senza sordini" / "This piece be played very delicately and without mutes" i.e. without the dampers. In other words, keep the dampers raised from beginning to end throughout the first movement. (Obviously, by "piece' he means only the first movement, as raised dampers throughout the others would be wretched.) In this movement, Beethoven created a novel and mysterious effect (familiar to and carried over from the Panteleon) in which each preceding harmony is retained rather than eliminated as each new harmony (or chord) is introduced. (For this reason, this effect is impossible to recreate on modern pianos because of their significantly longer sustain (about 30 seconds) compared to pianos of Beethoven's time (max 8 seconds). Why is this revelant? Playing "very delicately" - as Beethoven directs - minimizes the amount of sound produced but still obligates the player to gauge how much of a previous harmony should remain before introducing the next harmony, to achieve Beethoven's deliciously mysteriously 'melting' effect. Played too slow, the sound dies out with no perceptible overlap; too fast means conflicting harmonies start to clash and sound muddy. In other words, by listening for the 'right' amount of overlap between old and new chords, the instrument informs the player (not the reverse!) of the limited range of appropriate 'speeds' for achieving the desired effect in the first movement. (I avoid using the word 'tempo' because "tempo" in Beethoven's day implied far more than mere metronome markings.) The first movement could only be played as quickly as performed here by damping sound, getting rid of it, instead of allowing it to diminish on its own, as Beethoven directs. Apropos, Beethoven did not use knee levers in ways synonymous with the damper pedal that, not incidentally, had not yet been invented in Haydn's time (1732-1809), according to Czerny in his Op. 500, on Performing Beethoven's piano works. Petra's playing is exceptional and exquisite. I would love to hear her interpretation of the first movement based on Beethoven's prescription.

[@dali2music]

Very nice that you mentioned the pantaleon. Also Lautenwerck, claveçin royale and early fortepianos (those with a handstop only for the dampers) spoke that dialect, as CPhE Bach and Ch.Burney tell us. NB, the actual pedals instead of knee levers existed much earlier in London, already J.Chr. Bach knew them.

[@stephenbarrell7821]

@@dali2music Yes, Indeed, pedals were devised and introduced significantly earlier in England than in Vienna.

[@ПавелМартыненко-т3ш]

Какое фортиссимо(сфорцандо) в ацентах третьей части. Прямо представил сейчас, почему Бетховен ставил именно это, вдавлиявая своими пальцами ( по воспоминания его современников , он играл очень поджимая их , с необычайной, присущей ему экспрессией. Сейчас более прямые пальцы за клавиатурой). До экстаза нежнейшие звуки в 1 части.( если погрузиться в них) Очень созерцательно, и настолько проницательны... Этот старинный говор, гармонии в медленной части, старинность звучания эпохи начала 1800-ых годов. Звуки как бы на пол тона ниже, и это придает некое ощущение Божественного и вдохновенного, какой то более сильной впечатлительности и проникновения в душу всего от этого гениального произведения. Не передать словами... И все же удары в последней части после быстрых нот : та та( два аккорда)- феноменальны. Еще более фортиссимо( сфорцандо) показалось, чем на современных роялях. Какой то звук, напоминающий как что то падает, грохочет с стихийной мощью. (fff) Покрайней мере видится это!!!!!!!!!!!

[@guillermovergara9938]

Increíble el sonido y la interpretación!

[@Rasmus_Schweden]

Sie ist einfach genial. Wir hören die Musik wie sie früher war. Da mussten die Besucher noch persönlich in einem konzertsaal erscheinen um die Musik zu hören. Die Musik von Mozart,Bach,und anderen Komponisten sollten ebenfalls auf alten Instrumenten neue eingespielt werden.🎹🎹🎹🎼🎼🎼🎵 Rasmus aus Schweden 😉

[@sundancer7381]

Beautiful sound. Ethereal.

[@emilypeppers748]

Such a beautiful and dramatic rendition by Petra, the playing, dynamic contrast and energy highlights the power of the fortepiano. What a fantastic vehicle for the genius of Beethoven!

[@ZeldaVerde]

She plays so smoothly tho

[@palmaiattila3288]

Ez káprázatosan gyönyörű, Petra hatalmas művész! Ez az alla breve kezdés... nekem mindig fanyalogva nyavalyogtak, hogy nem vagyok elég "szentimentális", mert ebben a tempóban játszottam. Hammerklavier-on annyira autentikusan hangzik, hogy azóta direkt keresem a fortepiano felvételeket, amióta Pozsonyban hallottam egy koncerten három McNulty replikát is. This is amazingly beautiful, Petra is a huge artist! This alla breve start ... they always whimpered to me that I’m not “sentimental enough” because I played at this pace. It sounds so authentic on Hammerklavier that I’ve been looking directly for fortepiano audio-recordings since I heard the sound of three McNulty replicas at a concert in Bratislava.

[@PakAlatak]

Found a reference of this on my favorite social network, was totally worth listening with good sound system. I'm so amazed by this performance ans so moved that I will get some rest peacefully, thank you for uploading this.

[@jimmyhygaard2252]

Truly an achievement of extra ordinary proportion,so much soul and spirit driven ability,you lack nothing,excluding a massive audience,and surely you'd dazzle them with intricacies beyond the narrow expectancy that most require,after hearing you I'm inspired more than ever,my appreciation to you is 100 percent,thanks.

[@Jaguar106-sl3ls]

I could watch this master interpretation over and over again! Brutal beautiful!!!

[@eottoe2001]

LOVE THIS! "We're not worthy!"

[@steste2074]

Outstanding rendition, full of nuances and feelings...really great! BRAVA!!!

[@danielwaitzman2118]

Bravissima!

[@itami6751]

It’s just unbelievable the quality of this piece that you have make, best version i have heard so far.

[@edoardosuprani4721]

Impressive

[@DavidPNeff]

This is a marvelous interpetation of the Moonlight Sonata. Bravo.