The Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat, Op. 22 by has 4 movements as listed below:
Allegro con brio
Adagio con molta espressione
Minuetto
Rondo: Allegretto
Minuetto
Rondo: Allegretto
Of all his early sonatas, Beethoven was most proud of this work in B flat, though it has perhaps never had the popularity of some of its companions in the cycle. It was completed in 1800 and published two years later.
Beethoven assured his prospective Leipzig-based publisher that his ‘takes the cake’. Like a much later Sonata in B flat, the ‘Hammerklavier’, it is a large-scale work – indeed Beethoven labels it a ‘Grande Sonate’ – and effectively brings his period of high Classicism to a close.
The first movement manages to hold its own while rarely presenting us with something as recognisable as a melody. For that we have to wait until the slow movement, which presents a florid line over a throbbing accompaniment. The last two movements are more conservative: a regular minuet and a typical Viennese rondo.
Here is pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli to play this sonata for you:
