I was 12 years old when I performed this. There is more to the story. The version I played with transposed to D minor, but that makes no difference in the difficulty. I could not play the octaves on the last page because I was too small. I looked about nine years old. I was the smallest kid in my school then. I was probably no more than four feet six.
This is iconic. People who say they don’t know about “classical music”, or don’t like it, usually know this piece. And do they like it? Almost always, and they almost always want to play it. But because it is so famous, I always worry about doing it justice. There are many famous recordings.
I did a new recording tonight:
No matter how many times I play the this piece, I always have new ideas and want to add those new ideas to what I’ve done in past.
The contrast between dark and bellowing and light and airy is very vibrant. Nice piece.
This is a great piece. I especially like the dynamics, ranging from the loud, heavy chords to the most soft and gentle at the end.
Crazy to imagine playing this at 12 for me, probably couldn’t even play it now heh. I always liked this piece because of how simultaneously foreboding and soothing it is. Every time the chords resolve it calms me, yet every time they are struck before then it unsettles me. Great work.
That was amazing.