Desecrating Beethoven

It's a good thing that Beethoven is already dead, because otherwise I'd be doing a pretty good job of slaughtering him. I felt slightly better about not being Vladimir Ashkenazy at the rehearsal last night when I realized the violinist was not Itzhak Perlman either.

The music isn't particularly hard, I'm just not a professional pianist. The violinist's teacher suggested I alter the music to make it more playable, but who am I to consider myself adequately compositionally adept to tamper with the great Beethoven? I do not often edit music, although now that I think about it, it has happened more than once--but never to Beethoven.

I will alter a few things. So far all that really troubles me is a rather large leap in the right hand. I can play everything else--at 60 bpm. It's supposed to be allegro. My good friend Hanon is assisting me to acquire "Agility, Independence, Strength, and Perfect Evenness in the Fingers, as well as Suppleness of the Wrist."

Schmath could do it easily. Schmath, would you like to come trade places with me in California for a while? I will go up to Utah and watch your goats for you if you'd like.