[Stuart]

Can anyone help me in approaching a particular passage in the last movement of the Appassionata? The rest of the work promises to capitulate to practice, but at bar 64 in the last movement there is a passage in the LH with alternating octaves and thirds. It's to do with the wrist/hand position I think, but I cannot play it evenly or precisely. There is a similar passage in Op22 last movement.
Maybe there's a particular technique or exercises that could help. I have Tovey's edition and he is a great help in places, e.g. the LH 10th stretches in the first movement of Op 90, but he is silent here and in Op22.
Any help. suggestions welcomed.

Stuart

[Nyiregyhazi]

No secrets really. It's just hard. A couple of things help though. Practise with a double dotted rhythm and big pauses. Sometime go from 3rd to octave, sometimes octave to third. Relax completely in between. You can gradually build up with a few extra notes and then stop dotting and just concentrate on adding a few more notes bit by bit (always pausing and fully relaxing after a group). I found it helps if you drop the wrist on the octave (brace the fingers, rather than actually moving them at all) and lift the wrist on the 3rd, throwing the hand in.

Andrew

[Stuart]

Many thanks for the reply and help. It's a relief in a sense that you regard it as hard, as I was wondering if there was a fundamental problem with my technique, particularly as Tovey appears not to consider these passages as difficult. For instance, he regards the semi-quaver passages at the start of Op 14 No 1 as 'infuriatingly treacherous' - which they are - but they pose no particular technical difficulty as such.
I will employ your suggestions and hope that these remove the major obstacle (but not the only one) to a half decent performance of the sonata.
Incidentally, you may be listening to the Paul Lewis Beethoven cycle: he said that the Appassionata is easier than the Op 2 set because it lies more comfortably under the hands. Interesting perspective.
Stuart