How to get a fresh start with overexposed pieces?

[Linus]

I cannot for the life of me enjoy pieces like Beethoven's 14th piano sonata's 1st movement, probably because it's been everywhere since I was a small fry.

Does anyone know how to solve this?

I've tried different interpreters, read analyses of it, but to no avail. It keeps feeling shallow.

Or is it, perhaps, just a lukewarm composition to start with?

I haven't had the same problem with e.g. Ludwig's 5th and 9th (first and last movements respectively).

[Karl Henning]

Let it rest;  don't listen to it at all for ten (or even just five) years, and come back to it.

[Jay F]

What Karl said. I've gone years (well, almost) without listening to Mahler, and I love it all the more when I return to re-obsess over it.

[Linus]

I'll be back in ten years and tell you if it worked.

[Karl Henning]

We'll be here!

[North Star]

Have you tried period instrument performances (fortepiano) ?
Otherwise, what Karl said.

[Jo498]

Listen to Schnabel's recording. Or Gould's

But the piece is overrated compared to many other Beethoven sonatas, e.g. 13 and 15 to begin with...

[bhodges]

I cannot for the life of me enjoy pieces like Beethoven's 14th piano sonata's 1st movement, probably because it's been everywhere since I was a small fry.

Does anyone know how to solve this?

I've tried different interpreters, read analyses of it, but to no avail. It keeps feeling shallow.

Or is it, perhaps, just a lukewarm composition to start with?

I haven't had the same problem with e.g. Ludwig's 5th and 9th (first and last movements respectively).

Aside from Karl's very good suggestion (i.e., give the piece a few years' rest), do you ever listen to music with friends? Try listening to the piece with someone you know, either a friend who is familiar with it (who may be suffering the same burnout) or perhaps even better, listening with someone who has never heard it. Sometimes listening through a friend's ears can reawaken your original excitement.

--Bruce

[Holden]

Because of its fame the movement tends to be looked upon as a standalone with the following two movements coming from a different planet. Very few pianists try for a more integral approach.

I've always viewed the first movement as a reversal of clefs and when I tried to play it like this the results were interesting. The 'melody' for me is carried in the left hand with the right hand triplets as the accompaniment. Approached from this perspective the mvt takes on a far darker hue and being in C sharp minor it should.

The pianist who gets this right is Solomon Cutner. His first movement is slow, dark and brooding and the left hand is slightly emphasised. The Menuetto and trio is played that bit faster leading perfectly into the whirlwind that is the finale. If you heard his Adagio Sostenuto by itself you might question the interpretation. But when combined with the rest of the work it makes perfect sense.

[amw]

I didn't listen to the Adagio sostenuto for a couple of years after over-exposure. Then I came upon it again while traversing the Badura-Skoda set of sonatas on period instruments and found it really interesting to hear a performance that truly captured the nuances of 'senza sordino' on a piano of Beethoven's day, without being totally shown the piece in a new light. The performance that did that for me was actually András Schiff's, but it's not going to be for everyone.

Anyway, since you were not looking for recommendations on burnout for this specific piece but just in general... the best way is yeah, not to listen for a while, or to choose performances that are very different from what you're used to.

[North Star]

I didn't listen to the Adagio sostenuto for a couple of years after over-exposure. Then I came upon it again while traversing the Badura-Skoda set of sonatas on period instruments and found it really interesting to hear a performance that truly captured the nuances of 'senza sordino' on a piano of Beethoven's day, without being totally shown the piece in a new light. The performance that did that for me was actually András Schiff's, but it's not going to be for everyone.

Anyway, since you were not looking for recommendations on burnout for this specific piece but just in general... the best way is yeah, not to listen for a while, or to choose performances that are very different from what you're used to.

I'm certainly with you on the Schiff recommendation (too).

[milk]

Aside from Karl's very good suggestion (i.e., give the piece a few years' rest), do you ever listen to music with friends? Try listening to the piece with someone you know, either a friend who is familiar with it (who may be suffering the same burnout) or perhaps even better, listening with someone who has never heard it. Sometimes listening through a friend's ears can reawaken your original excitement.

--Bruce

This is great advice. This works for me with lots of different kinds of media. 

[Cato]

How do you listen?  If you use earphones, then try large speakers, or a "SurroundSound" system.

If you have always used speakers, listen with a nice set of earphones which keep out as much noise as possible. 

I have found that one's perception can be changed by such things.

[Jo498]

Yes, IIRC Schiff is my favorite "modern" interpretation of this movement, but my overall favorite probably still Schnabel.

[mc ukrneal]

I've listened to Beethoven's 9th about 2-3 times over the last 15 years. Sometimes 10 years isn't enough! 

[Karl Henning]

I trend that way with the Mahler First.  Once every 3-4 years, and I greatly appreciate it.

[bigshot]

I've only burned out on one piece... Ravel's Bolero. But there probably is a musical reason for that.

[Daverz]

I cannot for the life of me enjoy pieces like Beethoven's 14th piano sonata's 1st movement, probably because it's been everywhere since I was a small fry.

Perhaps try listening only to the other movements for a while, then the whole thing to reset movement 1 into context.

[Linus]

Have you tried period instrument performances (fortepiano) ?
Otherwise, what Karl said.

I've never tried any HIP of Beethoven before, but have now. It didn't help with the "Moonlight", but the fast parts of the first movement of the "Pathétique" got really interesting with the decrease in sustain.

Listen to Schnabel's recording. Or Gould's

I will, thanks!

But the piece is overrated compared to many other Beethoven sonatas, e.g. 13 and 15 to begin with...

Yeah, I suspected as much.

[Linus]

Try listening to the piece with someone you know, either a friend who is familiar with it (who may be suffering the same burnout) or perhaps even better, listening with someone who has never heard it. Sometimes listening through a friend's ears can reawaken your original excitement.

Interesting suggestion! I do agree one listens a bit differently when others are around, I'll try it out.

Because of its fame the movement tends to be looked upon as a standalone with the following two movements coming from a different planet. Very few pianists try for a more integral approach.

[...]

But when combined with the rest of the work it makes perfect sense.

Perhaps try listening only to the other movements for a while, then the whole thing to reset movement 1 into context.

This sounds like a good idea. I do love the third movement a lot, but I've always treated it as a separate piece, much like the first movement. Context, here I come.

How do you listen?  If you use earphones, then try large speakers, or a "SurroundSound" system.

If you have always used speakers, listen with a nice set of earphones which keep out as much noise as possible. 

Sounds like a good idea, but I'm personally a bit restrained in that department, my hyperacusis forces me to stick to a certain set of speakers that I'm used to.