Piano Sonata in E Minor, Op. 90
by:
Daniel Shapiro
In this course, Cleveland Institute of Music professor of piano Daniel Shapiro explores Beethoven's Sonata in E-flat, Op. 81a "Les Adieux." The last of Beethoven's so-called "named sonatas," this sonata is often referred to by the French translation of its first movement title "Das Lebewhol," meaning "Farewell." Shapiro reveals the historical context in which the piece was composed and demonstrates how Beethoven captures his emotional and psychological states upon the departure, absence, and return of his patron Archduke Rudolph. The sonata is an emotional journey requiring advanced control over tone, dynamics, articulation, as well as brief-but-demanding double-note and broken-octaves passagework – each of which Shapiro breaks down in detail throughout Beethoven's score.
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