Moonlight Sonata in B minor

A curiosity I heard on the radio today. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is in C# minor, but a recently-deceased New Zealand-born pianist insisted on playing it in B minor, a whole tone lower. Tessa Birnie apparently claimed that C# minor on a modern piano does not equate to C# minor in Beethoven's day, and that modern performers are guilty of inauthenticity.

So Classic FM played her recording of it, and it did sound very different from what I'm used to. Amazing the difference a slight change of key can make.

Another notable feature of the way she played it is that she honours Beethoven's pedal markings strictly, whereas modern interpreters say that modern pianos feature far stronger sustain than old ones, so following the pedal markings is illogical. I have to agree. Her recording sounded quite muddy a lot of the time. This was interesting, but I'm not convinced it's for the better. It's interesting how she was inconsistent in her insistence on recreating the original Beethoven experience.

Speaking just of the first movement, I'd say her interpretation is more brooding, but lacks the direct beauty of a standard modern performance. It was a real treat to hear, though.