Music

I think I will post some “classical” music most times I post in this thread. I will try to keep it engaging for people who aren’t really into that by inserting some banter about it (even though I don’t have a formal education in it; there are probably some huge gaps in my knowledge), and by keeping things at radio-friendly lengths where possible. For instance, the below is only a movement, which does stand on its own but is usually taken as part of a whole and would rarely be performed without the preceding movements.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 2, No. 1, Mvt. 4 “Prestissimo” (Sonata 1, 1795); Sviatoslav Richter interpreting in concert, Moscow, 1976.

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Some small-minded commenters on YouTube criticize that he gets a few notes wrong; you may even catch them without knowing the piece. Never you mind that. That is a fundamental (albeit common) misunderstanding of how one enjoys classical music, now or historically. Rest assured that this is a fine performance from one of the finest pianists (himself usually a big fan of strict performances), and if Beethoven wanted anything but the most explosive pace possible, he wouldn’t have marked it that way.