A Single Breath: Beethoven's Last Three Piano Sonatas

Featuring

Beth Levin
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Performer Biography

Beth Levin has collaborated with renowned groups such as the Gramercy Trio (of which she was a founding member), the Audubon Quartet, and the Vermeer Quartet.

Performer Biography

Pianist Beth Levin made her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 12, beginning a career guided by legendary pianists like Rudolf Serkin and Paul Badura-Skoda.

Composer Biography

Contemporaries described Beethoven during this period as unkempt, emotionally unstable, and prone to sudden furies, often seen arguing or scribbling notes while walking.

Composer Biography

Beethoven composed these transcendent works during a dark period of his life, marked by increasing deafness, isolation, and financial struggles.

Composition History

Beethoven composed his Piano Sonatas Nos. 30, 31, and 32 "in a single breath," as he described the process in a letter to Count Bismark.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven's last three piano sonatas (Op. 109, 110, and 111) were conceived as a unit and share a fascination with fugue and theme and variations.

Performer Biography

Beth Levin is committed to performing contemporary music, collaborating closely with composers David Del Tredici and Andrew Rudin, who have both written works for her.