7/26 Waldstein Sonata Op.53 (Gulda & Teoria)

Friedrich Gulda (rt) with free jazz icon Cecil Taylor (left)

Piano Sonata 21, Opus 53 (Waldstein) is one of my favorite of B's sonatas - it starts out absolutely churning, the second subject is the definition of lyrical, the development acrobatic. And that's just the first movement. Sadly my favorite pianist Sviatoslav Richter never recorded the Waldstein, though my 2nd favorite, Friedrich Gulda did, and it is blazing with dynamic energy.



Anyways here is a great animated flash analysis of the Waldstein 1st movement by José Rodríguez Alvira.  In fact his site is a treasure trove of animated musical goodies including Sonata Op. 49, No. 2 and some very cool Bach fugues.



Teoria : Music Theory Web
Here's a video capture as a preview, but go to the link above for a much better looking animation.