Ashkenazy plays Beethoven Sonata "Les Adieux" (I)

Sonata No.26 in E flat major, opus 81a, known as the Les Adieux sonata, was written during the years 1809 and 1810.

Part I :
- Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux - The Farewell)

Part II : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8_13s1h50o
- Abwesenheit (L'Absence - The Absence)
- Das Wiedersehen (Le Retour - The Return)

~
While a number of Beethoven's piano sonatas have titles (authentic or otherwise), Op. 81a is the only one to have a concrete extra-musical inspiration: the flight from Vienna of his patron the Archduke Rudolph (along with the entire nobility and their entourages) in anticipation of the French invasion of the city.

In the light of the political situation, Beethoven was understandably indignant when his publisher, with an eye on the international market, insisted on giving it the French title, Les adieux , rather than his own German Lebewohl . In his next sonata (op. 90) he would reject Italian tempo markings as being Napoleonic, and later even replace pianoforte with Hammerklavier.

Beethoven began the first movement of his E flat major Sonata in May 1809, just after the Archduke had left and a matter of days before Vienna was besieged by Napoleon's forces. During the siege he sheltered in a cellar with a pillow over his head to protect his already diminishing hearing. The other two movements were written in January 1810, following the Archduke's return. The published dedication reads:
"On the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration" - though his private dedication in the sketches refers to the Sonata as being "Written from the heart"...

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Vladimir
• Ashkenazy
• Beethoven
• Sonata
• No.26
• op81a
• Adieux
• Kempff
• Richter
• Gilels
• Fischer
• Schnabel
• Backhaus

[7Parsifal]

When was this recording made?

[Vesivian]

@BPECA1 its one of his most popular sonatas :)

[BPECA1]

very underrated for Beethoven.

[SertavisPianist]

I like this one