Introduction
Lesson time: (1min 46sec)
In this lesson, Dejan introduces the Third Movement with historical context and background information.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Master Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven: Movements I, II, and III
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Exploring Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
Hi. Welcome back!
Today, we are here exploring Beethoven's magnificent Moonlight Sonata. I'd like to focus on the third movement before we delve deeper into its structure, performance technique, and how to achieve fluency in certain passages.
Overview of the Sonata
- This sonata, as we mentioned previously, is entitled Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia.
- It should be performed in a manner resembling a fantasy, which contributes to a sense of unity beyond what we might initially perceive.
Key Elements to Remember
- Remember those broken chords and triplets from the first movement?
- The C sharp minor chord consists of the notes: G sharp, C sharp, E.
- Interestingly, these exact three notes, played an octave lower, form the very beginning of this first movement , but at a much faster tempo.
What We'll Explore
- We will explore the connection between movements one and three, as well as their differences.
- Additionally, we will analyze the form and structure, along with much more.
I'll be happy to welcome you all back in the next lesson!
About the instructor
Dejan Lazić's fresh interpretations of the repertoire have established him as one of the most unique and unusual soloists of his generation. He regularly performs with the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, as well as the Australian, Basel, and Netherlands Chamber Orchestras, and has built close collaborations with conductors including Giovanni Antonini, Iván Fischer, Michael Francis, Andris Nelsons, Ivan Repušić, Thomas Søndergård, Robert Spano, John Storgårds, Krzysztof Urbański, and Jan Willem de Vriend. Dejan Lazić has released many CDs with Channel Classics and Onyx Classics, and a recording of Beethoven's Triple Concerto for Sony Classical. His live recording of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Kirill Petrenko received the German "Echo Klassik" Award. He also has a strong following in the Far East and is active as a recitalist and chamber musician, appearing regularly at major international festivals. Dejan Lazić's compositions receive increasing recognition, and he was signed as a composer by the Sikorski Music Publishing Group in 2015. His arrangement of Brahms' Violin Concerto as a Piano Concerto "No. 3" was premiered and recorded with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Robert Spano in 2009 and has enjoyed much ongoing success, at the BBC Proms, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Hamburg Easter Festival, and Chopin Festival Warsaw, in both Americas and in Japan. His Piano Concerto in Istrian Style (Op. 18) was premiered at the Aspen Music Festival in 2014 and has since been performed throughout Europe and in the USA. Other works include various orchestral, chamber, and piano music, cadenzas, as well as several arrangements of works by Mozart, Schubert, R. Strauss, Wagner, and Debussy. Dejan Lazić was born in Zagreb, Croatia, into a family of musicians. He grew up in Salzburg, Austria, where he studied at the Mozarteum (piano, clarinet and composition). His early encounters with Zoltán Kocsis and Imre Rohmann at the Bartók Festival in Hungary were decisive for his artistic career, as was the significant influence of Peter Eötvös. Dejan Lazić lives in Amsterdam. In Master Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Dejan shares the insight behind those acclaimed interpretations, guiding you through all three movements of one of the best-loved works in the piano repertoire so you can shape it with genuine understanding rather than imitation. www.dejanlazic.com read more