Updates about classical music
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 […]
One of Beethoven’s “hidden” treasures is found in, Op. 54. Beethoven’s 22nd piano sonata, Opus 54, is like a buried treasure, appearing between the more famous Waldstein (Op. 53) and Appassionata (Op. 57). Its formidable technical and interpretive challenges also discourage many players from making the attempt. Here is an excellent performance by the Norwegian […]
Another from Beethoven’s “new path”, the “Waldstein” sonata, Opus 53. We come to the “Waldstein” sonata, Opus 53, dedicated to one of Beethoven’s earliest patrons. When Beethoven departed Bonn for Vienna, it was Count von Waldstein, Privy Councillor to the Archbishop-Elector of Bonn, who forecast that Beethoven would “receive the spirit of Mozart from the […]
A Presidents Day tribute to G. Washington and A. Lincoln both of whom loved music: Beethoven’s Kreutzer sonata for violin and piano played by a master. The Kreutzer Sonata, Beethoven’s ninth for violin and piano, is sometimes referred to as “the other Ninth”. The story of its dedication is famous: The half-African violinist George Bridgetower […]
Today, Beethoven’s second piece of Opus 49. We are eternally grateful to Beethoven’s brother Kaspar, who arranged for the publication, against the composer’s wishes, of the two “Leichte Sonaten” Opus 49. There is hardly a piano student who has not learned from study of these graceful pieces. We present here the Opus 49 number 2, Beethoven’s […]
Beethoven’s “Leichte Sonaten” composed in 1795-76 but not released publicly until 1805 are often studied by students. The Opus 49 “Leichte Sonaten” (light sonatas) are only known today because Kaspar van Beethoven, one of the composer’s brothers, decided on his own to present them for publication in 1805, fully ten years after they had been […]
Beethoven’s piano sonata Op. # 3 in E-flat major, “The Hunt,” was written in 1802. The third of the Opus 31 sonatas is affectionately known as “The Hunt”, a nickname that describes only the last movement – fast, rollicking, and full of “horn calls”. This is one of Beethoven’s most good-natured works, displaying grace, charm, and […]
Beethoven’s “Tempest,” Opus 31 #2 in D-minor. We come to one of the greatest sonatas in the entire repertoire, the Opus 31 #2 in D-minor, nicknamed “The Tempest”. From the unsettling eerieness of the opening movement, to the marvelous , orchestra-like setting of the Adagio second movement, and then the “moto perpetuo” Allegretto at the […]
Beethoven’s Opus 31 piano sonatas began a new path for him. Beethoven composed his trio of Opus 31 piano sonatas in 1801-1802, after he had remarked to his student Carl Czerny that he was dissatisfied with his compositions so far and was setting out on a new path. Each of the sonatas is strikingly different, […]