Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Opus 110 well-known, presents a gamut of settings, much like a great drama. Opus 110 is the most popular of Beethoven’s late sonatas. The opening is lyrical and warm, and is followed by an exuberant Scherzo, whose themes were borrowed from two folk tunes – “Unsa Kätz häd Katzln ghab” […]

Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Op. 109 is the predecessor to the Hammerklavier. The Opus 109 sonata is a much smaller work than its immediate predecessor, the “Hammerklavier”. It has a fantasy-like first movement followed by a quick prestissimo, and the whole is capped with a marvelous theme and variations, which Beethoven instructed was to […]

Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Op. 106, “Hammerklavier,” enfolds soul-wrenching drive with those unknown last moments of a Mars landing. The Opus 106 “Hammerklavier”, Beethoven’s 29th sonata, is one of the most demanding works in the entire keyboard repertoire. Magnificent in scope, enormous in length, it contains a soul-wrenching Adagio movement and ends with an […]

Beethoven: Sparks of Joy – Op. 101 begins his “late period” sonatas. The Opus 101 is generally regarded as the first of the “late period” sonatas, in which Beethoven takes advantage of the expanded range  and sturdier construction of the “Hammerklavier” to produce works of extraordinary power and richness of effect. In fact, in the […]

Beethoven’s sonata Op. 90 follows Napoleon’s defeat. Five years would lapse before another piano sonata appeared since Napoleon’s storming of Vienna. During these years, Beethoven composed his Mass in C, and organized a successful revival of his opera, now called “Fidelio”.The Opus 90 sonata was composed following the defeat of Napoleon and during the preparations […]

Beethoven’s rebuke of Napoleonic forces; a sonata for Archduke Rudolph. Napoleon’s forces approached Vienna in April of 1809, forcing the nobility to flee to their country estates, and Beethoven to shelter in his brother’s cellar, with pillows strapped over his ears to preserve what little hearing he still had. The departure of his friend and patron, […]

Beethoven’s “Cuckoo” sonatina. One might suspect that the Opus 79 sonatina was actually composed much earlier than its publication date of 1809, but Beethoven’s sketchbooks show that it is a contemporary of such works as the Emperor Concerto and the Harp Quartet. This miniature sonata is also known as the “Cuckoo” for the repeated chirping […]

Beethoven’s “Shakespeare” sonata, “I scorn to change my state with kings;” the great Appassionata. Opus 57 – the “Appassionata” – one of the greatest works of Beethoven’s so-called “heroic” period, provides the backdrop for the following account: In the late autumn of 1806, as Beethoven was putting the finishing touches to this sonata, his patron Prince […]