Sonata in F minor Op. 2, No. 1

This sonata was written in 1795 and is dedicated to Joseph Haydn.

Complete recording by Andreas Pfaul

1	Allegro	3:45
2	Adagio	5:46
3	Menuetto - Allegretto	3:23
4	Prestissimo	8:17

Sonata no. 3 in C Major, Op. 2

This sonata dates from 1796 and is dedicated to Joseph Haydn.

Complete recording by Mark Hensley

1	Allegro con brio	8:22
2	Adagio	10:48
3	Scherzo - Allegro	3:40
4	Allegro assai	6:20

Sonata no.4 in E-flat major op.7

Piano Sonata no. 4 in E-flat major is dedicated to Countess Barbara von Keglevics and was composed in 1796-97. It is sometimes nicknamed as "the Grand Sonata".

Complete recording by Dejan Sinadinovic. Live, "Blonay recital", 27 Sept. 2007.

1	Allegro molto e con brio	3:44	Sinadinovic, D.
2	Largo, con gran espressione	2:30	Sinadinovic, D.
3	Allegro	4:59	Sinadinovic, D.
4	Rondo	6:25	Sinadinovic, D.

Sonata no.5 in C minor op.10 no.1

This sonata was composed in 1795-97. Beethoven dedicated the work to Der Gräfin Anna Margarete von Browne.

1	Molto allegro e con brio	5:38	McCarthy, M.
2	Adagio molto	8:35	McCarthy, M.
3	Finale: Prestissimo

Sonata no.7 in D major op.10 no.3

Piano Sonata no. 7 in D major was dedicated to the Countess Anne Margarete von Browne, and written in 1798.

Complete recording by John Robson.

1	Presto	7:54	Robson, J.
2	Largo e mesto	10:36	Robson, J.
3	Menuetto, Allegro	3:33	Robson, J.
4	Rondo, Allegro	5:04	Robson, J.

Sonata no.8 in C-minor Op.13 "Pathetique"

The sonata Op. 13 with nickname "Pathetique" is one of Beethoven's most popular sonatas. It was most probably composed in 1789 and is dedicated to Dem Fürsten Carl von Lichnowsky.

Complete recording by Tom Pascale

1	Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio	8:36	Pascale, T.
2	Adagio cantabile	5:07	Pascale, T.
3	Rondo: Allegro	4:54	Pascale, T.
3	Rondo: Allegro (VIDEO)	4:54	Pascale, T.

1	Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
2	Adagio cantabile	5:45	Rebecq, H.
2	Adagio cantabile	5:03	Silva, M.
2	Adagio cantabile	4:27	Simionescu, R.
3	Rondo: Allegro

Sonata no.9 in E major Op.14 no.1

This piano sonata was composed in 1798. Beethoven dedicated it to Baroness Josefa von Braun.

Complete recording by Jan-Felix Lebenstedt.

1	Allegro	3:16	Lebenstedt, J.
2	Allegretto	7:12	Lebenstedt, J.
3	Rondo	3:31	Lebenstedt, J.

2

Allegretto

3:09

Young, B.E.

Sonata no.10 in G major Op.14 no.2

This piano sonata was composed in 1798. Beethoven dedicated it to Baroness Josefa von Braun.

Complete recording by Hannah Shields.

1	Allegro	6:22	Shields, H.
2	Andante	6:00	Shields, H.
3	Scherzo. Allegro assai	3:18	Shields, H.

Sonata no.12 in A-flat major Op.26

Complete recording by Richard Pohl

Sonata Op. 26 (complete)

19:11

Pohl, R.

Complete recording by Daniel Hoehr

1	Andante con Variazioni	7:38
2	Scherzo:  Allegro molto	3:08
3	Marche funebre	6:11
4	Allegro	2:58

Complete recording by Harald Vetter

1	Andante con Variazioni	8:17
2	Scherzo: Allegro molto	3:37
3	Marche funebre	5:00
4	Allegro	3:28

1

Andante con Variazioni

7:57

Gardels, C.

1	Andante con Variazioni
2	Scherzo: Allegro molto
3	Marcia funebre (sulla morte d'un Eroe)
4	Allegro	4:01	Kopp, S.

Sonata no.13 in Eb major Op.27 No.1

This sonata, with the subtitle Sonata quasi una Fantasia, was written in 1801 and is dedicated to Der Fürstin von Liechtenstein.


Complete recording by Mauro Bertoli

1	Andante	4:55
2	Allegro molto vivace	2:04
3	Adagio con espressione	2:41
4	Allegro vivace	5:24

Sonata no.14 in C-sharp minor Op.27 No.2 ("Moonlight")

This piano sonata, which like its companion Op.27 No.1 is subtitled Sonata quasi una Fantasia, is more commonly known as the "Moonlight" or "Mondschein" sonata, and is, together with Für Elise, Beethoven's most well-known and popular piano work. It was composed in 1801 and is dedicated to Gräfin Giulietta Guicciardi.

Complete recording by Sandro Bisotti

1	Adagio sostenuto	5:54	Bisotti, S.
1	Adagio sostenuto VIDEO	5:13	Bisotti, S.
2	Allegretto	2:08	Bisotti, S.
3	Presto agitato	5:50	Bisotti, S.
3	Presto agitato VIDEO	5:42	Bisotti, S.

Complete recording by Richard Pohl

Adagio sostenuto-Alegretto-Presto agitato

14:34

Pohl, R.

1	Adagio sostenuto	6:05	Brest, D.
1	Adagio sostenuto	5:22	Dukes, C.
1	Adagio sostenuto	6:11	Edwards, E.
1	Adagio sostenuto	5:55	Grant, J.L.
1	Adagio sostenuto	7:14	Kopp, S.
1	Adagio sostenuto	6:43	McCarthy, M.
1	Adagio sostenuto	6:24	Syeles, A.
1	Adagio sostenuto	5:46	Wallaart, J.

Raymond Smullyan has created a video named "Rambles, Reflections, Music and Readings". This video is linked below (380 MB) and Piano Society recommends to take the time to download and watch it.

The video contains music from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Beethoven Sonatas, Scarlatti Sonatas and Schubert's Moments Musicaux and but from music (all played by Mr. Smullyan), it also contains a collection of wonderful pictures. Raymond presents in live person different kind of puzzles and histories along with quotes from famous musicians.

Rambles, Reflections, Music and Readings (VIDEO)

58:55

Smullyan, R.

Sonata no.15 in D major Op.28 "Pastoral"

This piano sonata was composed in 1801. Beethoven dedicated it to Joseph Edlen von Sonnenfels.

Complete recording by Karine Gilanian

1	Allegro	6:38	Gilanyan, K.
2	Andante	7:03	Gilanyan, K.
3	Scherzo: Allegro vivace	1:58	Gilanyan, K.
4	Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo	4:56	Gilanyan, K.

2

Andante

7:17

Castellano, J.

Sonata no.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2 "The Tempest"

Sometimes referred to as "The Tempest", this piano sonata was composed in 1802, at the same time Beethoven wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament. Both manuscripts clearly reflect one of the most desperate moments of his
life.

Complete recording by Sandro Bisotti

1	Largo - Allegro	6:49	Bisotti, S.
2	Adagio	8:55	Bisotti, S.
3	Allegretto	8:36	Bisotti, S.

Complete recording by Andreas Pfaul

1	Largo - Allegro	9:01	Pfaul, A.
1	Largo - Allegro VIDEO	9:03	Pfaul, A.
2	Adagio	7:36	Pfaul, A.
2	Adagio VIDEO	7:36	Pfaul, A.
3	Allegretto	7:13	Pfaul, A.

Complete recording by Harald Vetter

1	Largo - Allegro	8:28
2	Adagio	5:57
3	Allegretto	8:26

 

1	Largo - Allegro	8:13	Anatone, R.
2	Adagio	7:36	Alianello, M.
3	Allegretto	6:35	Anatone, R.
3	Allegretto	6:00	Kaidja, L.
3	Allegretto	8:04	Pfaul, A.
3	Allegretto	7:18	Villeneuve, M.

Sonata no. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31, no. 3

1

Allegro

9:44

Stehlik, B.

The two Sonatas Op. 49 No. 1 and 2, known to almost every piano student, are sometimes referred to as 'Sonatinas', on account of their scope and difficulty being much more modest than of the other sonatas. The Sonata Op. 49 No. 2 was composed in 1788 and was revised in 1796. It bears no dedication.


Sonata no. 19 in G minor, Op. 49 No. 1

Complete recording by Monica Alianello

1	Andante	4:07
2	Rondo: Allegro	3:50

Sonata no.20 in G major Op.49 No.2

1

Allegro

3:25

Morin-Paul, N.

Sonata no.21 in C major Op.53 "Waldstein"

This massive piano sonata was composed in 1805 in dedication to Count Ferdinand von Waldstein. From its memorable repeating staccato chords in the opening to its explosive ending, it is a sonata of all heights, only rivalled in difficulty by the late sonatas.

Complete recording by Michael Hawley

1	Allegro con brio	10:53	Hawley, M.
2,3	Introduzione: Adagio molto - Rondo: Allegretto moderato	13:07	Hawley, M.

Complete recording by Felipe Sarro

1	Allegro con brio	11:28
2	Introduzione	3:34
3	Rondo	11:02

1	Allegro con brio	10:30	Kopp, S.
3	Rondo: Allegretto moderato	10:04	Weigl, P.

Sonata no.22 in F major - Op.54

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, op. 54, was written in 1804.

Complete recording by Ahmed Anzaldua.

I. In tempo d'un menuetto, II. Allegretto

3:25

Anzaldua, A.

I. In tempo d'un menuetto

5:28

McKinney, A.

Sonata no.23 in F minor - Op.57 "Appassionata"
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, opus 57, colloquially known as the Appassionata, is considered one of the two great piano sonatas of his middle period (the other being the Waldstein sonata, opus 53). It was composed during 1804, 1805, and perhaps 1806, and is dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick.

Complete recording by Sandro Bisotti

I.	Allegro Assai	11:03	Bisotti, S.
II.	Andante con moto	6:49	Bisotti, S.
III.	Allegro ma non troppo	6:10	Bisotti, S.

Complete recording by Irina Klyuev

Sonata no. 32 in F minor Op. 57 "Appassionata"

21:53

Klyuev, I.

1	Allegro assai	9:52	Kingma, J.
1	Allegro assai	9:14	Kopp, S.
3	Allegro ma non troppo	6:10	Bisotti, S.
3	Allegro ma non troppo	5:21	Kopp, S.

Sonata no.24 in F-sharp major - Op.78

The Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major, Opus 78, nicknamed "A Thérèse" because it was written for Duchess Thérèse von Brunswick.

1

Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo

3:48

Malmgren, M.

Sonata no.25 in G major - Op.79

Beethoven's lesser known piano sonata from his middle period is sometimes known by musicians as "Cuckoo" for its frequent jumping around. It was composed in 1809 and bears no dedication.

1	Presto alla tedesca	3:00	Underwood, H.
2	Andante	2:25	Kolarova, G.

Sonata no. 26 in E-flat Major - Op. 81a

Nicknamed “Les Adieux” or “Das Lebenwohl”, this sonata was written during the years 1809 and 1810. On the first 1811 publication, a dedication was added reading "On the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration".

2

Abwesenheit; Andante Espressivo

3:53

Harrison, D.

Sonata no.27 in E minor - Op.90

This short sonata, in two movements which is unusual for Beethoven, was composed in 1814 and was dedicated to Dem Grafen Lichnowsky. The blissful and pastoral atmosphere, also unusual for Beethoven, reminds one of Schubert, whose first sonata dates from only one year after.

Complete recording by Randolph Hokansson

Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck, Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen

14:06

Hokanson, R.

Complete recording by Chiara Bertoglio

1	Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck	5:20	Bertoglio, C.
2	Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen	8:08	Bertoglio, C.

Complete recording by Richard Pohl

1	Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck	5:20	Pohl, R.
1	Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck (VIDEO)	5:45	Pohl, R.
2	Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen	8:08	Pohl, R.

Complete recording by Jason Thomas

1	Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck	6:25	Thomas, J.
2	Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorzutragen	9:15	Thomas, J.

 

1

Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck

6:25

Pohl, R.

Windows movie, recorded at the Chapel of the Body of the Lord in Olomouc, Czechia
 


Sonata no. 28 in A major - Op. 101 (1815-16)

The Op. 101 sonata is the first of Beethoven’s five late piano sonatas, which are characterized by experimentation with form and texture. When he wrote the piece, Beethoven was deeply disturbed by his increasing deafness, his inability to find someone to marry, and a bitter custodial battle over his nephew. These disturbances greatly reduced his musical output, so that this sonata is one of the few, and perhaps the major work from 1815-16.

Beethoven’s experimentation with sonata form is seen in several ways. The relative length of the movements is unusual, and is strongly weighted toward the elaborate final movement with short first and third movements. The Allegretto first movement begins with a long, lyrical phrase that seems never to end. This style, described by Wagner as an “infinite melody,” was copied by Mendelsohn and became associated with the romanticism of Schumann.

The dream-like reflection of the first movement is shattered by a brusque, angular march. The middle (trio) section of the march contains contrapuntal writing as the right and left hands imitate each other. This baroque language foreshadows the fugatto development section of the finale.

The Andante, more an introduction to the finale than a separate movement, returns us to the long phrases and dream world of the Allegretto. We are drawn ever lower in pitch, until the cycle ends with a free quasi-cadenza.

The Allegro begins with a reminder of the opening bars of the first movement. The melody is not "infinite" but instead truncated into three portions. Beethoven introduces a humorous dance-like theme, which alternates with climbing scale-passages and syncopated chords for much of the movement. What was humorous turns quite serious in the development section with intricate four-part fugal writing. Humor returns in the coda section, although trills and ornamentation remind us of the fugatto and of the introduction. The movement is resolved with a final triadic fanfare.

~Daniel Goodman

Complete recording by Daniel Goodman

1	Allegretto, ma non troppo	3:34
2	Vivace alla Marcia	5:52
3 and 4	3. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto 4. Allegro	11:35

1

Allegretto, ma non troppo

Bertazzi, A.

4:54

Sonata no.29 in B flat major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"
Dem Erzhertog Rudolph gewidmet

Complete recording by Sarara Momokawa

1	Allegro	10:45
2	Assai vivace	2:39
3	Adagio sostenuto	18:07
4	Largo - Allegro - Allegro resoluto	12:12

Sonata no.30 in E major - Op.109

Fräulein Maximilliana Brentano gewidmet.

Complete recording by Joseph Kingma

1	Vivace, ma no troppo	3:06	Kingma, J.
2	Prestissimo	2:20	Kingma, J.
2	Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung	11:54	Kingma, J.

Piano Gathering in Boston, 3:rd of May in 2008, Including First movement of Sonata no.30, Op.109 (VIDEO)

25:24

Smullyan, R. Stavreva, T. Tedeschi, S.

Sonata no.31 in A-flat major - Op.110

This sonata was written in 1821 and bears no dedication.


Complete recording by Andy Lee

1	Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo	6:14	Lee, A.
2	Allegro molto	2:29	Lee, A.
3	Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga	10:26	Lee, A.

Complete recording by Julia Froschhammer.

1	Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo	5:52	Froschhammer, J.
2	Allegro molto	2:03	Froschhammer, J.
3	Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga	9:22	Froschhammer, J.

1

Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo

6:23

Gardels, C.

Sonata no.32 in C minor - Op.111

This sonata was written in 1821-1822 and bears no dedication.

Complete recording by Francois de Larrard

1	Maestoso; Allegro con brio ed appassionato	8:37	Larrard, F. de
2	Arietta: Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile	15:51	Larrard, F. de