It is a time-honored custom to give a familiar name to outstanding or especially beloved works of art. In the same way as nicknames or adjectives were attached to kings or great artists, so famous churches, statues, paintings and musical works were brought nearer and made more intimate by the “man in the street" through an affectionate pet name. Like many of the masterpieces of musical art, several of Beethoven’s piano sonatas have such designations, which became universally known. Among these sonatas, without doubt the three known as "Pathétique", "Moonlight" and "Appassionata" are the most popular today, because these sonatas fire the imagination of players and listeners most powerfully. Beethoven knew the first name, because that sonata was designated on the title page as Grande Sonare Pathétique when it was published for the first time in 1799. But most probably it was the publisher who suggested the title, for reasons of publicity. Of the latter two attributive subtitles Beethoven never heard. Yet it is undeniable that all three designations are characteristic and accurate, and that the music of these sonatas is strongly evocative of thought-associations and suggestive of some content other than musical, i.e., that they have the earmarks of program music, even though such intent was far from Beethoven’s mind. While many of Haydn’s and some of Mozart’s symphonies and quartets have pet names or adjectives, their piano sonatas do not. This clearly shows that Beethoven conceived the music of his sonatas differently, as the listener is quick to recognize lyric or dramatic content in music. Indeed, it cannot be denied that Beethoven's piano sonatas differ materially from those of his predecessors in many ways. First of all, in their form. Very soon after having settled in Vienna, and when about twenty-five, Beethoven not only departed from the classical norm of the sonata form but assigned an entirely new role to it. Depending on the artistic goal he had in mind, he gave the title sonata to pieces in two, three, or four movements ; connected the movements by modulations to form two or only one movement ; wrote a slow introduction to the first movement as Haydn and Mozart did in symphonies, and even repeated part of it before the recapitulation — in one word, experimented with new forms. But he also departed from the classical harmonic relationships between the sections, and introduced new ones..
Egon Kenton (from the original Liner Notes)
Wilhelm Kempff
Plays
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
Tracks
Piano Sonata n° 8 in C Minor, Op. 13
"Pathétique"
4 I. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio 7:37
5 II. Adagio cantabile 4:05
6 III. Rondo. Allegro 4:33
Piano Sonata n° 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 n° 2
"Moonlight"
1 I. Adagio sostenuto - attacca 6:16
2 II. Allegeto - attacca 2:20
3 III. Presto agitato 5:51
Piano Sonata n° 23 in F Minor, Op 57
"Appassionata"
7 I. Allegro assai 9:40
8 II. Adante con moto - attacca 6:03
9 III. Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto 5:43
*
Wilhelm Kempff - p
Recorded at Beethovensaal, Hanover ; September 12 & 21, 22 & 24-25, 1951