Mari Kodama, the pianist on this recording, began playing piano at age three and entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris at 14.
Composition History
The Sonatas Op. 2 were written between 1790 and 1795, and premiered in September 1795 at the palace of Prince Carl von Lichnowsky.
Composer Biography
Beethoven himself later reflected on his early manuscripts, questioning if he was 'crazy to have incorporated in one single piece enough diverse content to have filled 20 pieces'.
Compositional Technique
All three sonatas in Op. 2 share a four-movement form, with fast first movements followed by a slow and a dance movement.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Beethoven's Op. 2 sonatas mark a transition point, serving as an interface between the musical traditions of Mozart and Haydn and the new 'awakening' of the 19th century.
Composition History
Beethoven's three Piano Sonatas Op. 2, his first works in this genre, were dedicated to Joseph Haydn, with whom Beethoven studied.
Compositional Technique
Beethoven upgraded the slow movement and transformed the traditional minuet and trio of the third movement into a fully-fledged scherzo in these sonatas.
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