Once again, Alfred Brendel‘s masterful piano playing and Beethoven’s extraordinary gift for composing combine to create music that grabs me from the get-go.

To me, Movement I (“Allegro molto e con brio”) of Piano Sonata No. 4 in E Flat Op. 7 sounds more like Boogie-Woogie Jazz or some kind of contemporary improvisational music than it does Classical music.

But then the stately Movement II (“Largo con gran espressione”) follows and I am reminded that I’m listening to Classical music from the late Classical period as it morphs into the Romantic period.

Here’s what I’ve been Continue reading →