Edwin Fischer plays Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (live in 1948) 

A score is just notes. Music is more than that.

I might suggest that you check out Mr. Ainley's Piano files blog. He has several articles there on matters of musical interpretation. I've found them to be educational and a fun read!

Glad you all like it... as far as 'romantic' goes - this is really in the ear of the beholder. There is plenty of evidence that Beethoven himself was not at all strict in terms of regular tempo and that he played with such force that pianos were damaged afterwards, so i don't think 'classical restraint' was really his way. There is also evidence that he was willing to accept people playing differently than he himself did: as Gregor Benko notes, "Marie Bigot (1786-1820), the teacher of both Mendelssohns, played for Beethoven, the first to play the “Appassionata Sonata” for its composer, from the manuscript. Beethoven was struck, and told her, “That is not exactly the character I wanted to give this piece; but go ahead. If it is not wholly mine it is something better.” Beethoven’s eminent biographer Thayer tells us the composer was so impressed he gave her the manuscript. This idea that composers had one vision and only wanted things played the way that *we * believe they should have been played, or only based on what limited information they could put in the score, is one that is far more limited than any score that has been played beyond the lifetime of the composer.

@@ThePianoFiles Dear Marc, I'm fully aware about the different interpretations that even at the time of Beethoven, and by the composer himself, were admitted and taken into consideration. I was just saying that in the first half of the XXth century there were plenty of musicians who gave a romantic character to the pieces they played. Some of us may agree, some may not. As far as I'm concerned I'll always be a Fischer admirer, but my personal taste is for a more assertive but rigorous Beethoven.

@@michelangelomulieri5134 Indeed, there is more of that inclination... and it's really hard to know if that was also more the case in Beethoven's time. I remember that the first time I heard Hofmann's Waldstein I realized that the written descriptions can only go so far in communicating the actual sound and style of the playing ... and indeed, the great thing about music and fine playing is that there can be so many wonderful but different ways of approaching the same piece of music !