Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathétique' | Daniel Barenboim

Replete with passion and grace, the 'Pathétique' counts among Ludwig van Beethoven’s most popular piano pieces. Here, Daniel Barenboim masterfully interprets the Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 in the Palais Rasumofsky in Vienna. It is part of Barenboim’s complete recording of all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas from the years 1983 and 1984. This Beethoven cycle is considered a reference rendition.

00:00 I. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
09:41 II. Adagio cantabile
14:51 III. Rondo: Allegro

The Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 of 1789 comprises everything that characterizes Beethoven’s musical style: tender, reserved tones, explosive outbursts, abrupt shifts, touching melodies and artful virtuosity.

Beethoven’s publisher was so enthused and moved that, with Beethoven’s consent, he gave the piece the title “Grande Sonate Pathétique” and published it in 1799. From a purely technical standpoint, the sonata is easier to play than many of his other sonatas, making the 'Pathétique' very popular among advanced piano learners.

When Ludwig van Beethoven wrote this sonata in 1798 at the age of 27, he was in Vienna at the climax of his career as a pianist and, at the same time, was struggling with the onset of his deafness.

Contrary to what is displayed in the video clip, Beethoven did not dedicate the 'Pathétique' to Joseph Haydn but to 1802 Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky, who not only provided him with accommodation for quite a while in Vienna – the prince also supported him financially for over 10 years.

Beethoven penned a total of 32 sonatas for piano in his years in Vienna, between 1796 and 1823. They are among the most significant works in piano literature and include pieces such as the 'Moonlight Sonata,' the 'Appassionata' or, as previously mentioned, the 'Pathétique'.

Hans von Bülow, a pianist himself and later – from 1887 to 1892 – the Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, considered Johann Sebastian Bach’s instructional piece, “The Well-Tempered Clavier” to be the “Old Testament of piano music.” He was so enthralled by Beethoven’s sonatas that he called them the “New Testament of piano music.” Over the long period of 30 years, Beethoven’s piano sonatas are considered to mirror his musical development.

One expert who has examined Beethoven’s piano sonatas since his childhood is famed pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim (*1942). Barenboim was considered a prodigy. As a young man, he studied in Rome under the instruction of pianist and music teacher Carlo Zecci. At the age of 15, he made his first recordings of a few of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, including the 'Pathétique.' In addition, he was already playing with the New York Philharmonic at that age.

Five years later, Barenboim conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in New York. From that point on the doors of the greatest stages in the world stood open to him. From 1992 to 2023, the Argentine-Israeli pianist and conductor was the General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera. The Staatskapelle Berlin designated him the lifetime Principal Conductor in year 2000. Since 1999, he has also been advocating for a peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict between Israelis and Palestinians with the “West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.”

Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim dedicated a total of five complete recordings to Beethoven’s piano sonatas in the course of his career. He played the final cycle to mark the occasion of the composer’s 250th birthday (2020) during the COVID pandemic for the Deutsche Grammophon classical music label and stated at the time, “No matter how often you play them, there are always new, personal perspectives to discover.”

© 1984 EuroArts Music International

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[leestamm]

Lovely. Barenboim in his prime. A pleasure to hear.

[ИринаН.З]

Очень ценная запись 🎉🎉🎉🎉благодарю!!!!

[oimanchan]

Barenboim surpasses all his later ones. Thank you for posting this.

[Huard]

9:42 to 10:45 and 11:45 makes me cry every time. Thank you Billy Joel for bringing this part back to life in 1983 😊

[kengwahgoldstein]

What a lovely morning for us. Thank you

[blum]

Great performance. Love that second movement

[aaronjorgefridman]

Brillante idea la de rescatar grabaciones "antiguas" de uno de los más grandes pianistas de los qud se tienen grabaciones. Beethoven: INMORTAL.

[williamhu]

Strength and warm❤Love this performance.

[gracenotes]

Yes, a reference rendition indeed! Well worth going back to these 1983-84 recordings on CD or streaming (e.g., Tidal or Qobuz)

[lucildefrasca]

Bellísima interpretación. Baremboin insuperable.

[ruzicalilic]

❤❤❤Wow!Lovely performance.Thank you very much!❤❤❤

[faustdownunder]

Thanks for uploading this wonderful Beethoven piece. Daniel plays it with just the right level of euphoria.

[DavidEzequielPerez]

Was going to say that it works as a reference record to me and then I read that the description says exactly that. It sounds like one. Love the sonics and the crystal clear and full of momentum voicings. The scene is accordingly settled. Thank you! Cheers from Argentina 🇦🇷.

[TheStockwell]

The entire cycle of sonatas was filmed and was directed by the brilliant Jean-Pierre Ponnellle.

Best wishes from Vermont 🍁🧡🍁

[r.i.p.volodya]

I'm trying to learn this piece! So many things to worry about...

[cmtwei]

This was originally released on LaserDisc in 4:3 aspect ratio in the 80's. Then around 2012 EuroArts released the set on DVD and Blu-ray, but these were cropped to 16:9, cutting out parts of the top and bottom frame. I have the LD and blu-ray to do a direct comparison. I wrote a detailed review for the Blu-ray set on Amazon UK. I also spotted the incorrect opening credit to Haydn, it appears on all the Blu-ray discs. That's why the piano is often not in the centre of the frame, and here for example at 11:46 the lower parts of the frame and the piano legs are all missing. At 13:21 the right little finger goes off the frame. In 13:50 in the original LD you can see all of Barenboim and the piano, but here again the lower half is missing. The cropped imaged also appears zoomed in. It all looks wrong and I strongly condemn this practice. It just isn't the original director's intention. Note also in the whole first movement lasting nine and a half minutes you never see the keyboard side, just the back of the piano and Barenboim's face. EuroArts has just re-released the set at a lower price but I can't find any confirmation whether it's just the same as the old release or a new uncropped re-scan of the film. If the above promotional video is from the new set then it's just the old cropped image. Buyer beware!

[VinayMusicCorner]

This video is the bible for Beethoven’s sonata

[吳泓岍]

So septette for dead princess is inspired by this Rondon