Beethoven has another masterwork that is made for finger flying. This reviewer is just jaw-dropped upon this performance of his Piano Sonata No. 32. Looking upon the score is just amazing. Talk about it being all black. The use of striking octaves in both hands is typical Beethoven. The flourishing cantabile micro-movements that is so great. You have to know your scales inside and out in order to play this work. The piece is flying! It just blows my mind how the invention in Beethoven’s mind, even amid his failing health at this later time period in his life was still sprawling. The level of motivation that he kept on to the very end was just amazing. It forces me to look inside myself as a composer and really start creating the magnum opuses that will be known by people.
This piece is full of finesse from start to finish. The first movement is full of scale and chromatic passages that seemlessly flow from one key to another.
At the sixteen minute mark of the piece, there is some hints at what would be jazz or ragtime, even though many didn’t realize it at the time. I love that creative spark that Beethoven has all throughout his catalogue, but being that this was perhaps one of the last works he ever composed, the invention like the fine wine of life, oozed out and onto the page. It is Beethoven using all he has to pull out all the stops.
The whole piece is really a fantastic show of finger flying and harmonic invention. There is also the added feature of melodies trading between the treble and bass clefs. This serves to add more color and depth to the work. Again, we are talking about layers of invention.
There are also very many quiet moments that capture the heart. Take for example around the eight and a half minute mark. There is a piano section in C major that is very delicate and tender. It’s a great contrast to the more expressive settings in the piece. Even when the jazz like stuff is coming alive later in the piece, Beethoven tones the dynamics down for contrast. Talk about delicacy. There are many moments at the end of the piece where he is fond of using the upper octaves of the piano to create this beautiful color montage. It is jaw-dropping what composers like Beethoven where able to accomplish in works like these.
