Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor

Drama in the contrasts

The opening sets a forceful, widely spaced gesture against a quieter answer. Much of the sonata’s drama depends on making such changes audible without losing the thread between them. Give the strong passages a definite outline, then allow the softer writing its own colour. The Adagio’s ornamented melody asks for another kind of listening: hear the main line through its decoration. In the finale, rests and interruptions are part of the musical argument, not gaps to hurry across.

Let the ornaments speak

Pianist Robert Estrin suggests some timing flexibility in the Adagio’s rapid, cadenza-like runs while preserving the broader tempo. This is an interpretative option, not permission to rush every ornament. First identify where the melody arrives after a run. Practise the approach and landing together, then add the intervening notes at a manageable pace. Listen for a coherent phrase rather than a display detached from the music around it.

Music in this edition

1. I. Allegro
2. II. Adagio
3. III. Molto allegro