BaL 19.03.16 - Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 8 in C minor Op. 13 "Sonata Pathétique"

[Tony Halstead]

Was it the Butlins experience that led you to give up the Piano in favour of the Horn, Tony?

(Or did you continue your Piano lessons - moving on to the "HiDiHommerklavier" Sonata?)

yes, of course! (the latter, I mean)

[ardcarp]

I'm going to stick with the repeat missing out the opening 'Grave'.
I now have to say that this piece does have an important 'significance' for me, since the playing of it ( in a vastly truncated version or 'arrangement' ) led to not only my being 'paid' for the performance, but to my whole family having a FREE HOLIDAY -wait for it - at a 'Butlins Holiday Camp'!
Here is the explanation: in 1957 when I was 12 years old I entered the 'Daily Express Talent Competition' and eventually got through to the 'Finals' which were held at an hotel in Margate that was part of the then 'Billy Butlin Empire'.
To cut the story short, I won the 1st prize playing the 1st movement of the 'Pathetique' but making a huge 'cut' from the end of the exposition to the 'coda' - not only so as to conform to the competition's stipulation of '4-5 minutes' but also to satisfy my desire to follow Stravinsky's path of cutting out the development sections of the Beethoven piano sonatas ( I had read about this as a snotty 11-year old!).
The 'final judge' of my playing ( on a lovely WHITE grand piano) was the (then famous and renowned) disc-jockey PETE MURRAY, and I do have some photos of him giving me the Daily Express silver cup and presenting me with the £10.00 cheque ( a lot of money in those days) and the 'voucher' allowing me and my whole family to have a week's Butlins holiday 'for free'!

Nice one.

[silvestrione]

Beethoven didn't do this in any of his other compositions with slow introductions, unless I've missed something.

Well, he was moving into an experimental phase with form in his piano sonatas, and the op. 27 does repeat the slow Adagio section towards the end of the finale.

I can't see why the shorter slow sections affect my point at all: the mere fact of the reappearance of some it, twice more, show that Beethoven thought of it as integral to the whole movement, not just an introduction.