Day 245: Piano Sonatas Op. 2 No. 1, Op. 79, Op. 10 Nos. 1 & 2, Op. 14 No. 1

BeethovenCD50jpgMore Alfred Brendel from 1962-64.

More Beethoven piano sonatas, circa late 1700s/early 1800s.

These are introspective, less flamboyant. They seem more melancholy than joyful.

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor Op. 2 No. 1

From its entry on Wikipedia:

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1, was written in 1795 and dedicated to Joseph Haydn. A typical performance of the entire work lasts about 17–20 minutes.

Beethoven was 25.

Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Op. 79

From its entry on Wiki:

The Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1809. It consists of three movements…

It is one of Beethoven’s shorter sonatas with an approximate performance time of only eleven minutes, if Beethoven’s prescribed repeats are all observed. It is also the shortest of his sonatas with more than two movements.

Beethoven was 39.

Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor Op. 10 No. 1

According to its entry on Wiki:

The Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is dedicated to Anna Margarete von Browne, the wife of one of Beethoven’s patrons, a Russian diplomat in Vienna. All 3 sonatas of his Opus 10 are dedicated to Countess von Browne.

The first movement of the sonata has a 3/4 meter, the second movement 2/4, and the final movement 2/2. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 5 is a first period composition, anticipating more notable C minor works such as the Pathétique Sonata and the Fifth Symphony in its nervous energy.

It was composed in 1795-97 or so. Beethoven was 25 to 27.

Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Op. 10 No. 2

According to its entry on Wiki:

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10, No. 2, was dedicated to the Countess Anne Margarete von Browne, and written from 1796 to 1798.

The sonata spans approximately 14 minutes.

Beethoven was 26 to 28 years old.

Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Op. 14 No. 1

According to its entry on Wiki:

The Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14, No. 1, is an early-period work by Ludwig van Beethoven, dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. It was composed in 1798 and arranged – not transcribed – for string quartet by the composer in 1801 (Hess 34), the result containing more quartet-like passagework and in the more comfortable key of F major.

Notwithstanding its seeming simplicity, this sonata introduces the “Sturm und Drang” character that became so commonly identified with Beethoven. He adds drama both in the contrast between the lyrical passages that follow very active, textured thematic sections. Furthermore, the contrasting dynamics and variation between major and minor, between using the parallel minor and the subdominant of its relative major (E-minor to C-major). These were new techniques that offer a hint of the innovations that Beethoven brought to end the Classical era and begin the Romantic era.

Beethoven was 31.

Of the five piano sonatas on today’s CD, I like the last one the best. There’s something pretty, yet sinister, about Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major Op. 14. It caught my attention.

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