Piano Sonata No.32 Op.111 - I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato

Description

This is the first movement of Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111, Beethoven's final piano sonata. It was composed in 1822, during his late period when he had lost nearly all his hearing. The sonata has only two movements, a contrasting design in which this fierce C minor movement is followed by a quiet set of variations in C major, the Arietta.

A solemn Maestoso introduction opens with dotted rhythms and tense chords and gives way to a fierce Allegro con brio ed appassionato. The main section is in sonata form and 4/4 time, charged throughout with the tension of C minor, and the development includes fugato-like contrapuntal writing. It runs over seven minutes with 5,335 notes, and its very wide range from C1 to E-flat 7 assumes an 88-key piano.

The movement demands advanced technique and intense concentration. Many of the fast passages are written in octaves or unison for both hands, testing how precisely the two can be aligned. Use the hand colours to find where both hands move together, and mark off the transition from introduction to main section and the contrapuntal passages with the A-B loop, sorting out the voices at a reduced playback speed.

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