Beethoven 'Moonlight' Sonata: 1st Movement Masterclass

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[dpaul]

Without a doubt, this gent is an extremely good teacher- every little detail explained in great depth. I speak as a corporate Trainer, and piano student for last 19 years.

[AnxWhisperer]

Who is this man!? His emotional attunement with music, piano, art is sublime. His Insight comes with a weight that elicits creative inspiration and emotional movement.

[реканалугахв]

The melancholy bass line at the beginning, the fixed bass in the middle part... Thank you for the very beautiful autumn and winter season.🎉

[myklkay]

On the manuscript of this sonata, Beethoven wrote a few bars of the Don Giovanni opera, the part when the commandantore dies, and it sounds quite similar to this first mouvement.
Beethoven wrote this sonata in 1801, the year when he realized his growing hearing loss may lead to total deafness and never go away.
This is more like a funeral march to something he began (and will) lose and followed by hope in the second movement and the will to never give up and confront his destiny in the last.

[kevinmccann]

Loved it! Definitely funereal. I picture this as the composer sitting in a church during the funeral of a lover, loved one, or ...

[derclops]

The alignment with Lynch’s masterpiece is indeed a perfect match, thank you once again for a brilliant tutorial, a lot of material to think about.

[martynrobinson]

Appreciate the guidance in technique and assistance in interpretation.

[Ann.O.Pinion]

I soooo agree with your interpretation of this piece. Especially since I'm recently retired and in the beginning waning years of my life. 🙀

[thefritz]

Thank you for the inspiration. I think your interpretation is right to the point. I always loved and felt that piece deeply, but that was a eye-opener. Hearing you speak about the character of the repetions in the middle voice, the lines in the soliloqui of Shakespeares Macbeth came to my mind "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time. .." (The rendition of Orson Welles is my favourite one)

[racunars]

I am a beginner-intermediate pianist, and I am coincidentally learning to play this piece. I can play it now, (not so good) but precisely the expressiveness is still hard for me. Your video helped me a lot to understand the most adequate expressiveness of the piece. I agree with you, and it seems to me that the most appropriate expressiveness corresponds to a profound and tragic emotion, (not too-romantic). I love your videos and help me a lot to play better the piano. Thanks for your teachings.

[Magic-of-life]

This is what I appreciate about your videos, Denis - you take time to interpret musical pieces, analyze them deeply and telling your version. A Story always behind each piece. Not just la la la on the keys like many people do, not even thinking what's behind the music they are playing.
Thank you ✨️

[kathleena]

Omg, Denis!!! As a serious reader and also a “back to the piano” adult student, I am loving your analysis!! Comparing it to Chopin’ s funeral march, describing it as dark, with undertones of horror….wow, this is right up my alley!! I have always loved this piece, and now I know why. You’ve earned a new subscriber.

[kimnorthup]

you’ve made me want to pull this out of my repertoire and play it very differently. great stuff!

[pianolessonsboulder]

very sincere. Very moving. I love the personal aspect of this video. Thank you!:)

[rolandguyonvernier]

J’aime beaucoup votre analyse bravo et merci pour ce partage

[hyperboy]

Many thanks to the youtube algorithm that made me find you, you are the greatest commenter of these things. I greatly appreciate all of your work.

[Wipebumble]

Absolutely beautiful explanation and interpretation for this piece. That‘s exactly what i needed. I am learning the first movement right now and have problems with the right and subtle timing. Thank you 🙏
And des, Mulholland Drive is a clear must watch.

[jessbolen]

Denis,

Hello. I just recently started working on
this movement, and discovered your videos.
It seems like most of the comments are about a year old, so I am late to the discussion, but
I am grateful for videos like yours.

I was intrigued by your discussion, particularly regarding the timing of the triplets, as the melody is introduced. This has consumed
a considerable amount of my time, just
learning how to articulate those spots.

I look forward to your other videos, as
I am a humble student of the instrument!
Again, thank you for making the video!

[profsjp]

A powerful, provocative analysis. Thank you. I’ll reflect on applying it in practise.

[normaformanek]

I'm looking forward to the longer tutorial. I'm just beginning to explore this piece and your thoughts are illuminating. Considering the piece in terms of time and inevitability feels very true. Thank y ou.