Beethoven’s Sonata No. 4 is the first truly “great” sonata of his (that is to say, the three before are also great in their own way), and it is also the first sonata to be given its own opus number. Despite its brilliance and radicalness, however, it's somewhat underappreciated compared to the sonatas surrounding it. While I don't consider any of Beethoven's sonatas as “obscure,” the fourth is definitely one of the lesser-known Beethoven sonatas.
The sonata consists of four movements, which seems to progressively transition from orchestral to pianistic.
Movement 1 feels almost like an orchestral work transcribed for piano; it’s easy to imagine the moment at 4:46 as an orchestral tutti, the repeated Eb in the left hand at 4:56 as the brass, and the hollow octave melody at 3:03 as the woodwinds. All in all, these elements combine to make this movement one of the most exciting writing Beethoven ever conceived for the piano. Movement 1 also seems to foreshadow the next four movements; the main theme being the fourth, the C Major outburst at 1:18 being the second, and the splash of the minor 9ths being the third.
Movement 2 is also orchestral in nature, but not in the same grand sense as the first. There's definitely orchestral textures e.g. full dense chords, subtle accompaniments, but the movement is extremely generous with careful, meditative pauses. In this movement, the rests are just as important as the notes; the silence and notes are integrated together to form a single cohesive work. The movement also features some unusual writing, such as the eerie pianissimo chirps at 9:31 that interrupts the gaps between phrases.
Movement 3 is one of my personal favorite Beethoven scherzos. It’s all about contrast; the light, playful scherzo of the outer sections, and the dark, uncompromising trio of the middle section, labeled "Minore." The trio seems to just appear out of nowhere; after a single B-flat that breaks the silence, a haze of muddy broken chords crashes in like a tidal wave. The occasional sforzandos and crescendos add to the drama, and after fading into a delicate pianississimo, the scherzo returns and the trio vanishes just as quickly as it arrived.
Movement 4 is the most pianistic of the four movements (though perhaps except the crescendo chord at 21:23, which is usually not possible on the piano and only possible with wind/string instruments). The coda stands out as one of Beethoven’s warmest and most genius passages, featuring a return of the main theme in the “wrong key,” and transforming the fierce, mechanical second episode into a glorious river of peace and comfort.
Feinberg's playing here is one of the most convincing I've heard. His first movement is full of raw energy yet still retains phenomenal control and refined tone. His second movement is dignified with the appropriate rubato in all the right spots. His third movement is extremely slippery and fluid, and the trio is not overly dramatic and surprisingly very poetic. And finally, Feinberg brings out the gentle humor and generosity of the fourth movement perfectly. His rhythm is very flexible, yet they never interrupt the flow nor degrade the precision needed for this sonata.
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Source of audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNerXmzzCwk