Beethoven - Sonata (Waldstein) & Andante Favori Op 53 Piano Softcover Book (Piano)

Beethoven's piano sonata in C major op. 53, known as the Waldstein sonata, is one of the highlights of all piano music. The large-scale work was originally much more extensive, with its voluminous Andante middle movement, so Beethoven finally decided to replace the Andante with a relatively short Adagio introduction to the Rondo finale. In addition to the Waldstein Sonata in its definitive version, the new edition also includes the original middle movement, which Beethoven published separately and later called Andante favori (WoO 57). Because it may seem appealing to play the sonata in this early version and to discover to what previously unprecedented dimensions Beethoven had pushed the piano sonata genre. Alternatively, it may be attractive to combine the final version of the Waldstein Sonata with the Andante favori as a single piece in the same recital. The edition is essentially based on the autograph and first edition as well as Haslinger's complete edition, which is important in detail. Nils Franke's notes on interpretation draw attention to the time when the work was composed and its earliest reception, and thus cast a critical light on overly familiar performance conventions.