Beethoven Pathetique Sonata No8

The Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No8 in C minor op. 13, also known as “Pathetique” is very famous, one of the most famous Beethoven’s sonatas, I think the second after the “Moonlight” sonata. It was written when Beethoven was 27 years old.

I have just heard the first part of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No8 “Pathetique” performed by Freddy Kempf.



The rendition of the first chords which are marked with fp by Beethoven is for me quite strange. I never heard this place performed in such way and it seems to me too “verbatim et literatim”. But generally I like this interpretation of the Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, it is very understandably and consonant to my feelings, with large dynamic scale and typical Beethoven’s sudden sforzandos. There is a lot of the air in the pauses.
Generally I like the performance style of Freddy Kempf. His interpretation is always very delicate and heartfelt, full of passion and love to the music which he is playing. I was really upset when he didn’t take the first prize in the International Tchaikovsky competition.

L. van Beethoven. Für Elise.

Today an idea flashed across my mind. Why “Für Elise” (or “For Elise”) became so famous and so popular in our time? What does this music have inside that allows it be so loved by thousands of people? And this people for the most part are not professional musicians.

Is there any magic in it, which makes listeners to keep in mind this well known melody? I remember that I began play piano only to play this “beautiful song”. And I enjoyed playing it very much. I used to play it with pushed right pedal to make sound more flying and streamed.

And I wanted to know, who this Elise was and why Beethoven dedicated this piece to her. At present I don’t listen and play this music more. But there are many people around me, who still like to play “Für Elise”. Even some of my friends time to time ask me if I have a sheet music of this piece.

If you are one of them you can find the sheet music of “Für Elise” (and this is actually the name of Beethoven’s bagatelle in A minor WoO 59) right here. Beethoven For Elise

Ludwig van Beethoven "Symphonie 2"