Classical Composer: | Beethoven, Ludwig van |
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Work: | Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata" |
Year Composed: | 1805 |
Instrumentation: | pf |
Publishers: |
G. Henle Verlag Universal Edition Oxford University Press Breitkopf & Härtel |
Duration: | 00:23:00 |
Period: | Classical (1750-1830) |
Work Category: | Instrumental |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
Beethoven's Sonata in F minor, Op. 57, was considered by the composer to be one of his best. Its nickname 'Appassionata', although not chosen by Beethoven, is an apt one, more relevant than Schering's suggested parallel with Shakespeare's Macbeth. Dedicated to Count Franz Brunswick, it was completed in 1805 and published two years later. As so often, this sonata proved a fertile source for imaginative speculation in the nineteenth century, writers finding in it grim specters, heartfelt emotions, storms of passion and the ominous threats of Fate. The first movement allows a full exploration of the resources of the keyboard, its dramatic first subject contrasted with a simpler, expressive secondary theme. The D flat major Andante con moto presents the kind of slower melody that Beethoven knew so well how to write and play. The theme is subject to a series of variations. Fiercely repeated chords introduce the Finale, which, with its great technical and musical demands, ushers in a new world, before the coda, with its sudden reminiscence of the beginning of the movement.
Writer: Keith Anderson
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