Robert Estrin: The Mozart Secret Pianists Don't Know - From the Piano Expert

[classical music] There's a kind of perfection, a jewel-like perfection to the music of Mozart.

Everything goes just where you want it to.

You, every note is placed so perfectly that if you changed any one note, it would sound off.

That's the perfection of Mozart.

Now, Beethoven is a little bit different.

Beethoven's personality is one of surprises.

So for example, one of the techniques he utilizes in his music is to set yourself up where something's building, and suddenly it gets soft, the subito piano technique.

And you'll hear it at the beginning of the Opus 14, number two, G major sonata.

Listen to how he builds up and then suddenly down to nothing.

Pretty shocking.

[classical music] Something you wouldn't expect.

So whereas Mozart, there's that jewel-like perfection where every note is placed so perfectly it makes you go, "Ah," Beethoven makes you think he's going to do that, and just when you're lulled into the sense of c- uh, a sense of complacency, he shocks you and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next.