Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 16-18

The Sonatas Op. 31, which were composed during the years 1801/02, occupy a special place in Beethoven’s sonata oeuvre, as they mark a new beginning for the composer, which he described to his pupil Carl Czerny as follows: “I am not content with the work I have written so far. From now onwards, I want to tread a different path.” Op. 31 is a direct first result of this “different path” (even though the Sonatas Op. 26, 27 and 28 already clearly deviated in form, especially from the basic cyclical sonata model). Literature justly points out that – in Beethoven’s oeuvre – the Classical sonata model at the beginning of this phase had, in fact, come to an end. And, to the same degree, just as the all-embracing scheme from now onwards became increasingly individual, so the individual types of movement were also caught in the wake of the changes. For example, the first movement based on the sonata form, which so far had been considered a valid basis for a first movement,wasbrokenupstructurally without, however, rigorously doing away with the traditional foil. And the second theme, the first theme once again returns in the tonic; the second theme is then presented in the “forbidden” mediant of B major. Dur- ing the development, the first theme dominates; in the recapitulation, the second theme; after which the move- ment resolves itself successively in the Coda in its different segments. The slow movement makes an artifi- cial – although highly subtle – impres- sion due to its serenade-like elegance (or is this more like an aria?) with numerous ornaments. As far as form is concerned, Beethoven mixes ele- ments here from both the rondo and the sonata movement.