Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 10 No. 3
Sonata in D major, Op. 10, No. 3 (1796-98)
Presto
Largo e mesto
Menuetto: Allegro
Rondo: Allegro
The D major sonata is regarded by most critics as the finest of the Op 10 set. Music historian Ernest Walker wrote that ‘the individuality of style is absolute and unchallenged, the structure of all the movements is mature and flawless.’ The movements are rigorously constructed and are a good mix of Beethoven’s emerging personal style and the prevailing Classical style of Haydn and Mozart. The opening Presto features sudden dynamic changes that would soon become typically Beethovenian.
While Mozart and Haydn et al, wrote music that always had a twinkle in its eye, Beethoven made his name peddling tragedy and melodrama. The second movement, according to Beethoven, “expresses a melancholic state of mind… [portraying] every subtle shade, every phase of melancholy.” No other composer manages to portray such soul-destroying heartbreak in as few notes as Beethoven. The darkness abates somewhat in the gently optimistic scherzo and is forgotten completely in the almost joyful rondo finale.
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