Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op.57 No. 23 in F minor (Appassionata)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op.57  No. 23 in F minor  (Appassionata) is classified as a piece belonging to his middle, Romantic period.

Composed during 1804 and 1805, and perhaps 1806, the Appassionata was considered by the composer himself to be his most tempestuous sonata until the Hammerklavier. A piece of breathtaking beauty, it is an intense display of music and emotion.

The Op. 57 No.23 is divided in three movements: Allegro assai, Andante con moto and Allegro ma non troppo.

1st mvtm:

This first movement is very dramatic and passionate. This effect is achieved by the use of sudden changes in tone and dynamics - very much the composer's style. The rhythm of its main theme is inspired by the Scottish folk song On the Banks of Allen Water (Beethoven, like Haydn, wrote many arrangements for British publishers).

Here, the coda (passage that brings a piece or a movement to a conclusion; technically, it is an expanded cadence, ocurring at the end of a composition and bringing it to a convincing conclusion) is unusually long, comprising quasi-improvisional arpeggios. Beethoven's choice of the F minor key for the achievement of a dramatical effect becomes logical when one notices the use of the deep, dark tone of the lowest F on the piano, which was the lowest note available to Beethoven at the time.

2nd mvmt:

This movement, in contrast, is a rather quiet, tranquil one. It consists of  a set of four variations in D flat major, on a theme remarkable for its almost crude simplicity.

3rd mvmt:

The final movement has much in common with the first movement, such as several written-out cadenzas (an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist, usually in a free rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display; it is usually placed over a final or next-to-last note in a piece or important cadence, and the accompaniment rests or sustains a note or chord). The movement climaxes with a faster coda introducing a new theme, which in turn leads into an extended final cadence in F minor.

Enjoy a classical interpretation by legendary pianist Claudio Arrau.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdg-DT8rTUQ