Jeffrey Hall wrote:

>Dear CM fans, I am a big fan of Beethoven's Piano Concerto 3,
>which seems to get the short shrift in relation to his other
>more famous great works. What other compositions by Beethoven
>do you really enjoy but which may not be the favorites of the
>"experts"?  Thanks

Sticking with Beethoven's piano stuff, I'd recommend, as relatively
underappreciated:

1.  Piano sonata Op.  54, in F (No. 22).  A wonderful piece. I think
the second movement is an interpretive challenge, and the quality of the
performance may have a lot to do with someone's reaction to the piece.
Richter's recording on Phillips is, in my humble opinion, one of the
best recordings by anybody of anything.  Op.  54 is sandwiched between
Appassionata and Waldstein, so it tends to get overlooked.  I frequently
turn to this sonata first when I buy someone's complete set of Beethoven
piano sonatas.  It's a sentimental favorite and a good indication of an
interpreter's flexibility and skill.

2.  Piano sonata Op.  90, E minor (No.  27).  Another two movement work.
The second movement's first theme is one of Beethoven's most lyrical.
My piano teacher in undergraduate school said that Schnabel late in his
life said Schnabel finally figured out how to play the end of the second
movement.  If that story is true, it would have been great to get another
recording of it from Schnabel.  I'm especially fond of Kempff's stereo
recording of this piece; his second movement is gently lyrical.  Again,
I think this piece is an interpretive challenge.  Part of the challenge
for both Op.  54 and Op.  90 comes from the fact, I believe, that neither
fits within what is stereotypically described as "heroic Beethoven."

3.  "Choral Fantasy," Op.  80, for piano, chorus, and orchestra.  I think
someone else has already mentioned this piece on this thread.  It's not
Beethoven's architectural best (a nice way of saying it meanders a bit),
but the well-known theme (thanks in part to the brokerage house commercial)
is a favorite of mine.  The piece is a stumbling look forward to the 9th
symphony (use of chorus), but its melodic beauty makes it, for me, a
very endearing piece.

So much Beethoven, so little time.

Drew Capuder