Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, opus 57, known as the Appassionata, is considered one of the two great piano sonatas of his middle period (the other being the Waldstein sonata, opus 53).
The Appassionata has three movements:
- Allegro Assai
- Andante con moto - attaca
- Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto
While the early sonata no. 8, "Pathétique", was named by Beethoven himself, the "Appassionata" was labeled so by the publisher. Regardless, the name is very appropriate. Beethoven ends the third movement of his Symphony No. 5 with unresolved tension. Without pause between movements, the fourth movement follows with triumphant fanfare. Likewise here, there is also a brief moment of unresolved tension ending this middle movement (a more brief delay than in the Fifth). But unlike the triumph of the Fifth, this final movement announces itself in agony and founders in a coda of utter despair.
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