Nowadays I'm pretty quick to refuse people an explanation of what I get from the music I listen to. It changes very little at the end, lucky if anything at all.
i still do when i get the chance to. chances are it's not gonna actually change their opinion on the music itself but if i can educate someone and fix misconceptions and stereotypes they have about music (cause god knows there's a lot of them) then i feel like it was worth my time.
So this is sort of a cliche question, but I have to ask: for the classical era, do you prefer Beethoven or Mozart?
Mozart was much more prolific, I believe, and he also composed some top notch piano concertos:
However, as a pianist, I haven't played much Mozart so I'm not very familiar with his style or the level of technique required of him.
Beethoven only composed five piano concertos in comparison to Mozart's twenty-seven (I believe), but his symphonies and his sonatas definitely shine in his repertoire. His full set of piano sonatas rivals Bach's well-tempered clavier, and since they are closer to the style of the romantic era I am also more biased towards Beethoven.
Although they are rather mainstream, I find the Pathetique as well as the Moonlight Sonatas to be the most powerful amongst Beethoven's piano pieces. I'm not sure why, but I just can't find much enjoyment listening to many of his other sonatas such as the "Tempest" or the "Hammerklavier." I have played a Beethoven sonata on the piano before (op 14 no 1 in E Major) and I ended up really enjoying it. Perhaps his piano sonatas are pieces that really need to be played as a pianist in order to be enjoyed:
I would give Beethoven the edge. However, I have not listened to as much Mozart as Beethoven because Mozart composed too many works and I simply don't know where to begin with him.
(This post was last modified: 06-30-2013, 06:15 AM by Froge.)
Beethoven of course. Although I consider Mozart and Beethoven to be fairly equal in almost every regard (though not exactly contemporaries), I've just listened to more of Beethoven's works (every day in fact) so it's natural I am biased towards him.
Btw, you don't like Tempest or Hammerklavier? I worship Moonlight and Pathetique but the Tempest and Hammerklavier are easily just as good (if not better, although I still feel the third movement of Moonlight is among his best works). I don't really know what to tell you, you have obviously listened to them so all I can say is I absolutely love both of them.
If the reason you don't like them is underexposure, I really recommend you listen with the score and just absorb everything, I guarantee you that the Tempest sonata is one of his most profound works, and the Hammerklavier is a towering accomplishment in the history of the sonata form and piano music in general (I especially like movements 1 and 4. The scherzo is good but sort of peripheral and the adagio I'm not crazy about).
So, please relisten. I'm sure you won't regret it. Incidentally, here are my favorite sonatas in list form:
Moonlight
Tempest
Hammerklavier
Quasi una Fantasia
Pathetique
Appasionata
No. 18
Waldstein
Pastoral
No. 1
Quasi una Fantasia is one of the most underrated sonatas IMO, although it is one of my favorites. If you haven't noticed yet definitely check it out. The 2nd movement is fantastic:
This list definitely shouldn't be taken too seriously, it was very hastily made and some of these I am not completely familiar with (the first six I know very intimately though - although I have only learned mvts 1 and most of 2 of Moonlight on piano). I still haven't gone through most of the early sonatas and number 30-32 closely, but I have listened to all of the middle period and most late period sonatas more than thrice so while I enjoy them it would be redundant to name every single sonata on a "favorites" list. I've yet to go through his piano concerti but I have all of them so it's just a matter of getting to it.
What do you think of his string quartets by the way? I just started getting into them, although I have known and loved his Grosse Fuge for a while.
(This post was last modified: 06-30-2013, 01:37 PM by Bridge.)
(06-30-2013, 01:30 PM)Bridge Wrote: What do you think of his string quartets by the way? I just started getting into them, although I have known and loved his Grosse Fuge for a while.
(06-30-2013, 03:33 PM)failedALIAS Wrote: So I just found out one of my friends hates most music due to their simplicity. For this reason he enjoys complextro.