Beethoven

Sonata in E major

Op. 109

John Adams, pianist

Songs of Hope for Haiti is a project to help relief efforts in Haiti.  Please make a contribution if you are able.  Even small contributions make a big difference!

All proceeds from this album go to Partners In Health, based in Boston.

http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/personal/SongsOfHopeForHaiti

    PIH has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. We urgently need your support to help those affected by the recent earthquake.

    Partners In Health (PIH) works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for our patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.

    Based in Boston, PIH employs more than 11,000 people worldwide, including doctors, nurses and community health workers. The vast majority of PIH staff are local nationals based in the communities we serve.

I hope that you enjoy this album and please give generously to help support Partners In Health.

Thank you,

Randy

The sonata in E major, op. 109,  was composed in 1820, when Beethoven was 50 years old. Music historians describe it as belonging to his "late period," a time of extraordinary achievements such as the Missa Solemnis, the last quartets, the ninth symphony, and the last 5 piano sonatas. It was written during a period of increasing isolation, partly due to the deafness that forced Beethoven to rely on conversation books to communicate. The opening movement has an improvisatory feel, opening with a serenely flowing progression that is soon interrupted by a dramatic adagio. The tension between these two themes underlies the rest of this brief movement, which ends with a lyrical return to the opening theme. The second movement is dramatically different--a driving perpetual motion race through dark minor keys that suggests a mood of tragic suspense. The third movement is a set of six variations that begins with a slow, stately theme that Beethoven wanted played with "deepest feeling." It is indeed a celebration of life, moving from deepest tenderness to joyful release before finishing with a luminous  restatement of the opening theme that seems in its' autumnal cadence to speak of both loss and consolation.