Piano Sonata No. 13 in E‑Flat Major

The two Sonatas Op. 27 were composed in 1801, when Beethoven’s deteriorating hearing was causing him increasing distress. While the second of the pair, the "Moonlight" Sonata, is one of the most famous of all his works, the first is among the least-known. These are some of Beethoven’s most striking experiments of this period in adapting established forms. He gave both works the title Sonata quasi una fantasia, in recognition of their subverting traditional expectations. The E flat major Sonata has four movements, played without a break. The opening “Andante” has a childlike simplicity that masks a latent power. When the music bursts into C major for a contrasting episode with thrilling runs and forceful chords, we are reminded of Beethoven’s delight in incongruous juxtapositions. The C minor second movement opens with a two-part texture that hints at Brahms, while the slow movement exudes a rapt solemnity. As with the "Moonlight" Sonata, Beethoven saves the most dynamic movement for last, bringing back a fragment of the “Adagio” before the final flurry, a novel touch that emphasises the music’s improvisatory character.