Piano Sonata No. 29 in B‑Flat Major

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 106, composed 1817-18 and known as the Hammerklavier (simply German for “pianoforte”), is the longest and most challenging of all his piano sonatas, a work of overwhelming physical and emotional power. Even more than his late string quartets, it proved beyond the comprehension of his contemporaries, technically and intellectually. In a masterstroke of understatement, Beethoven described it to his publisher as “a sonata that will give pianists something to do”, although beyond Clara Schumann, Liszt and Hans von Bülow, few pianists played it publicly until the 20th century. The first movement (of four) launches headlong into a world of extreme contrasts and confrontation. A brief scherzo follows, presenting some of the same conflicts in miniature. The sustained “Adagio” is one of the most profound elegies in the entire piano literature, with a hymn-like serenity unique to late Beethoven. Finally, he unleashes a colossal fugue where the music strains wilfully against its medium—even a modern grand piano, let alone the fortepianos Beethoven knew, barely seems adequate for such uncompromising music.