I have listened to a whole lot of pianists perform the Sonata #31, Opus 110 by Beethoven. Today I heard Ms. Grimaud play it, and I was in awe! What sound, and what a lyricism! And all done at a slightly slower tempo than the tempo chosen by others.
Composed in 1821, the Opus 110 shares the same humanity and other-worldly atmosphere of its neighbors (109-111), and its first movement is a close cousin of Op. 109: both display a warm lyricism and tenderness.
This sonata is also remarkably compact, some 19 minutes in length. It is a distillation of ideas of compelling meaning and profound expression by a composer who has all but rejected the rules of classical sonata form. Indeed, in the hands of certain performers, it opens out like a fantasy, improvisatory and constantly intriguing and challenging.
Here is pianist Helene Grimaud to show you why I love this performance:
