Piano Sonata No.14 "Moonlight" Op.27-2 - III. Presto agitato

Description

The finale of the "Moonlight" Sonata. After the stillness of the first movement and the light dance of the second, the storm arrives. Fast broken chords rush up from below and chords are hammered down at the top; that shape breaks over the listener again and again through this Presto agitato. Putting the sonata's centre of gravity at the end was a new idea in its time.

In C-sharp minor and common time, in sonata form, its more than 4,800 notes stand far clear of anything else in the work. It uses the same key and much the same register as the first movement while being its opposite in character — and the opening broken-chord figure is not unrelated to those triplets, as though the same material had returned transformed.

Even among advanced pieces this one is physically demanding. The continuous broken chords lock the hand easily, and whether it can be played through depends on finding the places where tension can be released. Produce the accented chords with arm weight rather than striking from the fingers, and settle the shape of the broken chords before raising the speed. Playing the whole sonata means budgeting stamina to reach here.

Piano sonatas representative of the Classical and Romantic eras, including Beethoven's early works — substantial multi-movement pieces throughout.