Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 25 returns to a three-movement structure, but all three movements are very short. Early on, it was marketed as a “Sonatina.” It is sometimes called “The Cuckoo,” but it’s not clear if the cuckoo imitations occur in the first movement or third.
The first movement of the Piano Sonata No. 25 is marked “Presto alla Tedesca,” the Italian word for “German,” referring to a triple meter dance like the landler or waltz, but Beethoven wants it speeded up into a joyful spinning ecstasy.
#Beethoven250 Day 231
Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Major (Opus 79), 1809
I love the view of the audience in Russian pianist Peter Laul’s performance, and he has great fun with the music.
The second movement of the Piano Sonata No. 25 is a very short Andante in 9/8 time that suggests a Venetian gondolier’s song, such as those in Mendelssohn’s “Songs without Words” or the barcarolles of Chopin or Offenbach’s “Tales of Hoffman.” Beautiful and evocative!
The Piano Sonata No. 25 concludes with an exceptionally short rondo marked Vivace, which recalls the effortless exuberance of the first movement.