Ludvig van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas

Ludvig van Beethoven: German composer, 17.12.1770 — 26.3 1827

Sonata No.1, F minor, op. 2

Lovely music. Shows Beethoven's perfect technic as a composer at the age of 25. The sonate is dedicated to Joseph Haydn. Indeed, some melodic lines and rhythmic figures sound like Haydn. Nevertheles the sonata is guaranteed Beethoven and a great start for his series of world famous piano sonatas.


Sonata No. 2, A major, op. 2

First movements main theme is even more Haydn-like that one of sonata no. 1:bouncing and funny and with a twist. Last movement is virtuous and my son's favorite movement so far.


Sonata No. 3, C major, op. 2

Maybe we were tired , but this sonata we didn't like as much two previous ones, There is of course nothing wrong with it: keyboard is banged and run up and down as in the matter of life and death, but melodies are not very unforgettable. At the end of first movement we hear a first glance of Beethoven's upcoming romantic style.


Sonata No. 4, Eb major, op. 7
This was our favorite sonata so far. First movement is very light and bright and funny. Second movement is ultra slow and sounds even even a bit like Chopin from time to time. The third movement is playful minuet (or minuet-like) and last movement has pretty nice and songful themes with long and fast passages, but there are also moments, and not least ending, which give the bright themes also somehow gloomy and sad contrast.


Sonata No. 8, C minor, op. 13
This should be one of the famous Beethoven sonatas, with a nickname "Pathetique" and famous melody in slow movement. I myself didn't hear anything unusual (unusual compared to Beethoven's other sonatas) in this work. First movement has extra slow intro, from which we hear reminiscences from time to time. Otherwise it is quite usual first movement in traditional sonata form, with some slavic-like lines of melody. Second movement is peaceful and last movement a brisk Rondo with some very nice melodies. Beethoven was 27 when he composed this one and it is dedicated to Prince Karl von Lichnowsky.