CXXV. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van: Piano Sonata #28 in A Major, Op. 101

CXXV. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827)

Piano Sonata #28 in A Major, Op. 101 (1816)
1. Etwas lebhaft, und mit der innigsten Empfindung (Somewhat lively, and with innermost sensibility). Allegretto, ma non troppo
2. Lebhaft, marschmäßig (Lively, march-like). Vivace alla marcia
3. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll (Slow and longingly). Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto
4. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit (Slowly, but not overly, and with determination). Allegro
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
(20:20)

Historians find it convenient to divide Beethoven's work into three periods: early, middle and late.

Notwithstanding the fact that some works bleed from one period to another, it is appropriate to speak of them as containing works from various types of compositions. (It also neglects his very early pre-Vienna output) ...

The three periods work well for the division of three major groups of his most well-known works:

1. The Symphonies (1-2 Early; 3-8 Middle and 9 Late)
2. The String Quartets (1-6 Early; 7-11 Middle and 12-17 Late [Grosse Fuge included]
3. The Piano Sonatas (1-20 Early; 21-27 Middle and 28-32 Late)

**

Thus, this sonata is usually considered the first of the Late Period, which is generally defined as a time when Beethoven's writing became more complex, contained genre-shaking upheavals in technique and form, and broke through to the listener as something very new and different from all that preceded.

First Movement

Lovely, peaceful, serene -- but (like his earlier harmonic joke in the First Symphony) he never cadences on the tonic until very late in the movement. It is as if the music is forever suspended in midair.

Second Movement (4:30)

This march is an insistent parade of dotted-eighth/sixteenth figures which propels the music towards some unknown territory!

Much of the first half is repeated, until we arrive at a calm middle section:

Third Movement (10:16)

Look at this beautiful sweep before he restates the first movement theme:

Fourth Movement (13:02)

A firm return to the tonic and fantastic virtuoso, contrapuntal writing for the piano!

Beethoven soon turns the subject into a complex fugue:

Beethoven had one more trick up his sleeve -- a new low note added to his most recent piano -- a low E!