Beethoven - #3 : Sonatas Op. 2, 7, 26 27 "Moonlight", 54, 57 "Appassionata" - Paul Lewis / Harmonia Mundi 3x Audio CD 2007 / HMC 901906.08

UPC 794881848027

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3, is a sonata written for solo piano, composed in 1795. It is dedicated to Joseph Haydn and is often referred to as Beethoven's first virtuosic piano sonata. The three Op. 2 sonatas all contain four movements each, an unusual length which seems to show that Beethoven was aspiring towards composing a symphony. It is both the weightiest and longest of the three Op. 2 sonatas, lasting over 25 minutes, presenting many difficulties, including difficult trills, awkward hand movements, and forearm rotation. It is one of Beethoven's longest piano sonatas in his early period, second only to the Grand Sonata in E♭ Major, Op. 7, published a year later.