This underrated sonata is one of Beethoven's best, and HARDEST!

Here we are going to be talking about what makes this piano sonata by Beethoven so great. This is one of the best sonatas, and most difficult ones that is lessor known. It is not even one of his top 10 most famous sonatas, yet it deserves to be there. So sit back and enjoy some Beethoven.
/ ryanabshier
#piano #beethoven #howtoplaypiano #classicalmusic

[@hitm43]

The first movement of this sonata is one of the most beautiful movements in all 32 sonatas in my opinion ❤

[@ryanabshier]

For sure, such a gorgeous sound and some reason breath-taking moments.

[@wdashwor]

Agreed!!

[@yat_ii]

Beethoven's piano fugues are just so amazing and unique

[@lewisb9226]

Sviatoslav Richter said this was the most difficult Beethoven sonata in his notebooks

[@ryanabshier]

I've heard stories of Ashkenazy saying it was the one that made the least sense to him too, but you know how verbal stories go sometimes... It's cool to know Richter wrote that down, I was thinking a little hard evidence of musicians saying that would really benefit this video. Thanks.

[@matthewalexander-thepianist]

Great video! I learned this Sonata this year, and the 4th movement with these thirds and fourths on both hands are an absolute nightmare

[@ryanabshier]

It's so hard, great job learning it. It's weird, when I played it I didn't know it was considered difficult, so I had the most positive attitude the whole time 😅 But yeah, it's a beast and daunting for me to even bring back the last movement to recital quality.

[@matthewalexander-thepianist]

@@ryanabshier interesting!

[@nickk8416]

I really liked this video Ryan. I fell in love with Beethoven Sonatas when I was 15 with Wilhelm Kempff records. It started my love of classical piano. This sonata tends to be overlooked. I'm guilty. But thanks to you, you brought me back to appreciate just how beautiful that 1st movement is. I think I'll go back and practice it. Thanks.

[@mohongzhi]

for the last 30 years i've been more and more understanding all Beethoven sonatas, and finally realize that almost all Beethoven sonatas are equally good. I've been practice from op 79 and after that much years now i've leart to play 10-3, 13,22, 27-2, 31-2, 57, 78, 79, 81a, 110 wooo i'd never image i would learnt that much of them. All your Beethoven video really help me for a new thought about these piece. Thank you bro

[@ryanabshier]

So glad you enjoyed the video and that is an impressive bunch of sonatas! Every time you start a new Beethoven piece you realize how brilliant he is. It's amazing that he can be consistently so good.

[@mohongzhi]

@@ryanabshier Actually I hate you especially you mentioned the three Op 2s are equally good. Now you at least add these Op2s to my to do list now:). Yes how can I just missed these Op 2s.... Oh yes now i completely remembered like 10 years ago, once 2 old guy retired from orchestra (and that retirement also long ago for them then) and asked me to play Beethoven Trio with them. So I agreed to give a try. I just asked them which one we start and they just said we just start from the beginning. Then i reallize we are going to play Beethoven Op 1 No 1....... I don't even know of any composer there is an Opus One exist. But that's an unbelivable good Trio it is. And it's just so Beethoven piece, everything is so perfect. Actually till today I still cannot understand it seems i cannot find any learning curve of Beethoven, his eariest works are already as good as his latest works. (Of course the same as J S Bach) And his framework of all his sonatas are literally same. Thanks Bro again, so love your videos, they just let me have another understanding of Beethoven's work. I started to learn piano when I was 19, already too old for that, my aim was be able to play some Mozart Sonatas that will be it. Now I even played all Mozart sonatas(book 2) after KV330 and one thirds of Beethoven's, of course lot's of others, especially JS Bach. I still cannot really try to learn Liszt but I don't really thing it's a regret (maybe these piece really belongs to concert pianists). Already did 4 Chopin Etudes and I am perfectly fine with that.

[@user-sn4fj5el2b]

When I saw the thumbnail, I instantly recognized it as Beethoven's 28th sonata despite the blur... Maybe I know these sonatas a bit _too_ well...

[@ryanabshier]

Deciding the degree of blur was a huge decision for me 🤣 i wanted enough that most couldn't recognize, but enough clarity that the hardcore Beethoven fans would have a shot. Good job!

[@KaikhosruShapurjiMedtner]

Me too. The best along with the hammerklavier

[@brunoarielbenedetto1540]

Op101 is actually a Hammerklavier sonata. That fugue filled with fast double notes and trills is a musical marvel as well as a technical nightmare. Undoubtedly one of the greatest of the 32.

[@abusedhyena]

*29th

[@hannesdewinter1458]

It's not that difficult to see

[@baldrbraa]

The first movement starts on the dominant, avoids the tonic to land on the dominant, then modulates to the dominant for the secondary theme area, then, again starting on the dominant, takes off into a wandering development section, rushes towards the tonic in the recapitulation and seems to miss, goes around again and finally lands in the tonic at the end.

[@piotrrusk]

This is Hammerklavier too :) (The first one of the two).

[@Lukas-ug6jy]

You know you‘re a pianist when you look at that blurry score in the thumbnail and instantly know which sonata it is, as quickly as you‘d recognize the face of your mother.

[@ryanabshier]

Hahaha, I know. I should have made it blurrier. Raise the challenge level you know.

[@phantom0222]

Recently played the first movement of the op 110 for my exams ! It was SO FUN learning it, highly reccomend especially since no one plays it XDDDD

[@PJGRAND]

To me Beethoven is the absolute king of classical music I just love all of his piano music he was just a mind-boggling genius

[@EElgar1857]

I just found your channel, and I'm so pleased! You play beautifully, and explain things in a very clear way. BRAVO!

[@ryanabshier]

Thanks! Glad you like it, hope to keep making videos and growing. So glad when you faces find the channel. Do you play?

[@EElgar1857]

@@ryanabshier I'm a retired orchestra violinist, but I love the piano repertoire very much. That's in addition to organ, opera, and orchestral, of course!

[@wdashwor]

Interesting. Thanks, Ryan! I’m not a pianist, but as a listener, this is my second favorite of all the sonatas (surpassed only by the Pastoral). I love it so much, and am surprised this is one of the most difficult. I also agree about the first movement being hard to bring off, interpretively.

[@gicko2338]

I played this for my masters graduation concert. It is ridiculously difficult and also beautiful. I said I would take at least a 10 year break from it, but recently I've been thinking of bringing it back, only 10 months later 😅 Altough it would probably be wiser to learn 110 instead.

[@ryanabshier]

Beethoven does that to you "I'll put this away for a bit..." But you know, once you start learning a new one you're always thankful for that as well.

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

my beet5hoven and tchaikovsky lineage teacher says 106 is the 'everest of sonatas' in terms of difficulty

[@AndrewHVT]

Definitely agree with the caption about the Op. 2 sonatas being harder than many people think. For example, the last movement of No. 2, in which the Mozart-like theme is introduced by progressively more difficult, rapidly-ascending passages. Or the triplets in the first movement. I don't find the first and last movements of No. 3 particularly easy, either.

[@santiagocaldeira7555]

This is my favorite sonata!! For some reason it's not played lot and doesn't get the recognition it deserves... Too bad i can't play it yet because the last movement is so hard (decided to go with op 31 no 3) :( but i hope i will be able to in the future

[@ryanabshier]

I don't entirely know why it's not played more. I feel like it's beautiful, brilliant, and a great listen. I assume top pianists are not afraid of the difficultly, so I wonder if there's more fear of being able to "pull it off" musically.

[@mcbuuiop]

Beethoven casually upgrading the difficulties of his late sonatas with a fugue. Well, at least you can see bringing back the beginning of the first movement throughout a transition or through the piece has stuck around (Liszt Sonata has this with a theme throughout the whole sonata like you mention for the romantic sonatas)

[@ryanabshier]

lol, exactly. Late sonatas come equipped with a fugue to ward off too many visitors 🤣

[@ackamack101]

Thank you for this video. Although I am pretty familiar with the last 3 sonatas, #28 has completely flown under the radar for me. I didn’t realize until now what an incredible sonata this is. Thank you so much for this video and I look forward to delving into it and getting to know it with the different recordings I have of it. Thank you again! 😌❤

[@ryanabshier]

Awesome, so glad to hear that. Yes, it is for some reason not even in the 10 most popular ones, but I think it's amazing. Here on KZbin there's a really nice live recording of Emil Gilela playing it, I really like that one.

[@Yubin_Lee_Doramelin]

I've heard that, from No. 28 to No. 32, these are classified into Beethoven's Late Piano Sonatas. Marc-André Hamelin had played three last sonatas in the mid-2000s, and recently he's playing Hammerklavier Sonata (Op. 106). I really hope that he could record all these five Beethoven sonatas and release to the public...!!

[@ryanabshier]

But then he'd play it as easily as he pours a cup of coffee 😂 make us all feel bad. But no, that would be incredible! He's one of the best out there and a cohesive set of the last 5 sonatas would be a huge hit.

[@Yubin_Lee_Doramelin]

@@ryanabshier I agree. As he gets old, his musicality also got more matured and profound, and I find his Hammerklavier is one of the great (live) recordings (please don't blindly agree with me, because I'm a huge fan of him (= fanatic bias...?)).

[@Yubin_Lee_Doramelin]

@@ryanabshier I came across a two-hour live Hamelin video which includes his future releases; sadly my dream didn't come true because he only included No. 3 and No. 29 of Beethoven's piano sonatas, which will be released in October this year. But I'm satisfied with it because he did play these two works in the separate recitals.

[@moy9022]

This Beethovan piece is so scary to play for me, thanks Ryan for sharing.

[@ryanabshier]

You should mess around with the 1st movement though. I really love it and it's not near of terrifying as the others

[@moy9022]

@@ryanabshier thanks Ryan, l might try it later

[@matswessling6600]

which are your favourite recording of it? i like claudio arraus a lot.

[@ryanabshier]

I've always loved Emil Gilels live performance here on KZbin. I feel like I've listen to Arraus's recording of it, but it's been a long while. I'm sure he plays it amazingly!

[@martinosimone4232]

Great job. Which model of digital piano do you use?

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

3:43 - that's the theme from op 126 (number 1 or 5 or 6)

[@potsdam521]

That was one of Goulds favorites, oddly enough he didnt record it seems he thought after the first part what followed was not up to it. Its my personal favorite, also I think somehow was influenced by Scarlatti Sonata in A major k208, hope you have chance to hear it.

[@zhihuangxu6551]

The second movement forecast the Swing rhythm and blue notes in Jazz and pop music

[@cvlen]

I played this sonata for my BMus final recital. All 4 movements are hard to play, both technically and musically. Second movement is kind of awkward technically, and fourth is hard to learn due to all those parallel fourths and the fugato part, with all those trills. But is 100% worth the effort, it's an amazing and fulfilling masterwork. Should be played much more.

[@g0aty685]

when I saw the title I though for sure that you where gonna talk about op 7 (his 4th sonata) but no 28 is also fairly difficult and imo a much better piece of music

[@ryanabshier]

That would have worked as well. I went back and forth on the tile/thumbnail quite a bit. At one point it was like a million words long 🤣 I finally settled on something shorter and a little more vague rather than an essay. "Listen to and learn about the great Beethoven sonata that is underrated yet still amongst the best and most difficult, in fact considered by some to be......." lol 😆 Thanks for checking it out!

[@micahslobcrud5958]

so what number is it?

[@josantonioalcantara]

Embracing dissonance is not easy and make it musical is hard

[@murdo_mck]

Giltburg rates this sonata highly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5rLlmmrqbCJfrc

[@joebloggs396]

If that starts simple doesn't 31 too?

[@ryanabshier]

Yeah, it does too. But the whole 1st movement of Op 101 stays technically much more approachable than any of the last 4 sonatas' 1st movememts.

[@petertyrrell3391]

You and others make this sonata (and other sonatas) hard by taking ridiculously fast tempi! Use early 19th.C tempi not 20/21st.C tempi!

[@telephilia]

Opus 101 also Late Beethoven.

[@ryanabshier]

For sure. Got to say I'm a big fan of all Beethoven, but late Beethoven is special.

[@garth56]

mmmm they are not the hardest not even close 🙂

[@ryanabshier]

They are not even close? Hmm, which Beethoven sonatas do you think are much harder than the last 5?