Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas

[Guest]

This is an internet-based course run by pianist Jonathan Biss, a former BBC R3 New Generation Artist and Neubauer Family Chair in Piano Studies at Performance Faculty of Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia .


Commencing on 12 March 2014, it consists of a series of five lectures on one of the greatest bodies of music ever composed, from the point of view of a performer. Each lecture will explore a different facet of the music; all will attempt to locate the source of the tremendous psychological power of Beethoven’s music.

https://www.coursera.org/course/beethovensonatas?utm_source=Europadisc+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=7ba6b57981-Newsletter_17th_January_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ddb1558c25-7ba6b57981-411794529

Curtis offers a range of other such courses, details available through the website.

[Alison]

Cheers ams. I was thinking only the other day that it was high time for another 'traversal'.

Quite tempted by FF-guy set which is pretty inexpensive.

[Dave2002]

I didn't really get into the course with Jonathan Biss the first time round, so might try again - maybe this time "for a grade". However I don't think I'm going to be able to make the "drop ins" with Jonathan - pity.

[richardfinegold]

This is an internet-based course run by pianist Jonathan Biss, a former BBC R3 New Generation Artist and Neubauer Family Chair in Piano Studies at Performance Faculty of Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia .


Commencing on 12 March 2014, it consists of a series of five lectures on one of the greatest bodies of music ever composed, from the point of view of a performer. Each lecture will explore a different facet of the music; all will attempt to locate the source of the tremendous psychological power of Beethoven’s music.

https://www.coursera.org/course/beethovensonatas?utm_source=Europadisc+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=7ba6b57981-Newsletter_17th_January_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ddb1558c25-7ba6b57981-411794529

Curtis offers a range of other such courses, details available through the website.

I am a proud graduate of this course, and I think I made a post on the forum about it when I was taking it a few months ago. I highly recommend it; both highly entertaining and educational. It really increased my appreciation for the revolutionary aspects of Opus 7, which gets the better part of 2 lectures. I thought he could have said more illuminating things about the last 3 Sonatas, but this is still a worth while listen

[amateur51]

I am a proud graduate of this course, and I think I made a post on the forum about it when I was taking it a few months ago. I highly recommend it; both highly entertaining and educational. It really increased my appreciation for the revolutionary aspects of Opus 7, which gets the better part of 2 lectures. I thought he could have said more illuminating things about the last 3 Sonatas, but this is still a worth while listen

Cheers rfg - this spurs me on

[johnb]

By coincidence, recently I've been very taken by what I have heard of Kempff's playing and was thinking of buying his earlier Beethoven Sonata set.

[amateur51]

By coincidence, recently I've been very taken by what I have heard of Kempff's playing and was thinking of buying his earlier Beethoven Sonata set.

If this is the 1950s DG set, it's my long-term favourite johnb

[visualnickmos]

By coincidence, recently I've been very taken by what I have heard of Kempff's playing and was thinking of buying his earlier Beethoven Sonata set.

I have Kempff's (later?) DG set. I don't know his earlier (mono?) set. I have a few of the sonatas with Kovacevich, Brendel and Barenboim, and one or two other pianists, but always return to Wilhelm Kempff, of whom I have his complete set on DG.

[Dave2002]

I am a proud graduate of this course, and I think I made a post on the forum about it when I was taking it a few months ago. I highly recommend it; both highly entertaining and educational. It really increased my appreciation for the revolutionary aspects of Opus 7, which gets the better part of 2 lectures. I thought he could have said more illuminating things about the last 3 Sonatas, but this is still a worth while listen

Well done.

I did enroll after one of your posts, but I was late on, and really didn't find the time. Maybe next time round will be better - hope so. Some of the other courses I found also look good, as also one or two others elsewhere, but finding the time to do these is still a problem - though it shouldn't be!

Here is a programming course I meant to get into - https://www.coursera.org/course/progfun - but some of my friends managed that.

[richardfinegold]

Cheers rfg - this spurs me on

Go for it. We can become fellow alumni and have virtual reunions.

[richardfinegold]

By coincidence, recently I've been very taken by what I have heard of Kempff's playing and was thinking of buying his earlier Beethoven Sonata set.

That is a coincidence. I bought the second Kempff set while I was in the middle of the Bis course. I already owned complete sets by Arrau, Brendel, Goode, and Schnabel but I have enjoyed the Kempff perhaps most of all. No one Pianist will shine equally well in all 32 Sonatas, but the only one that I really didn't think Kempff played well was Op 31/3 which was a bit to strait laced for my taste. Otherwise, marvelous. I bought it through Amazon, and they added a free mp3 download of the entire set, so I frequently listen to those on my phone when I am traveling, etc. I haven't heard the mono set.

[anamnesis]

This is an internet-based course run by pianist Jonathan Biss, a former BBC R3 New Generation Artist and Neubauer Family Chair in Piano Studies at Performance Faculty of Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia .


Commencing on 12 March 2014,

Thanks for that! I'll take the course.

[amateur51]

Go for it. We can become fellow alumni and have virtual reunions.

Do I finally get letters after my name?

[verismissimo]

By coincidence, recently I've been very taken by what I have heard of Kempff's playing and was thinking of buying his earlier Beethoven Sonata set.

The Regis set, reviewed on Amazon, has negative comments re the recordings (or the transfers, or both). Anyone have experience of the set?

[amateur51]

The Regis set, reviewed on Amazon, has negative comments re the recordings (or the transfers, or both). Anyone have experience of the set?

I think that member ferneyhoughgeliebte has posted negatively about the Regis transfers. The current DG 1950s set is fine to my ears but more expensive than the Regis, inevitably.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-Piano-Sonatas-Wilhelm-Kempff/dp/B0000012XC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1390131333&sr=1-1&keywords=beethoven+piano+sonatas+kempff