Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 2, stands as a milestone in piano literature. Written by a young and exuberant Ludwig van Beethoven, it is filled with unexpected turns and dazzling virtuosity. It feels almost tailor-made for the Chinese star pianist Lang Lang. This recording was made on January 28, 2010, in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein during his concert in Vienna.
(00:00) I. Allegro con brio
(10:56) II. Adagio
(20:02) III. Scherzo. Allegro
(23:11) IV: Allegro assai
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) is often described — at least in his later years — as gloomy, irritable and temperamental — a change frequently attributed to his progressive hearing loss, from which he suffered at the age of 27. In his youth, however, the classical composer was said to have quite a different character: full of humor, social and above all an outstanding pianist.
This more lighthearted side of Beethoven is once again evident in his Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2. His second "Opus" consists of three piano sonatas dedicated to the renowned composer Joseph Haydn, with whom Beethoven spent over a year in 1792 exchanging ideas and receiving a form of compositional instruction.
The third of these sonatas was written in 1795, during Beethoven’s early years in Vienna. The fact that he assigned an opus number to these sonatas, just as he had previously done with his Piano Trios, Op. 1, shows his intention for the works to be preserved and taken seriously by the musical world. They were an early success in Vienna, helping establish him not only as a virtuoso pianist but also as a forward-looking composer.
The Third Sonata is generally considered the most distinguished of the set and, at the same time, the most demanding for performers. Humor, playful passages (09:36), and virtuosic brilliance — especially in the fiery first movement and the joyful fourth — define the work. It is performed here by the Chinese pianist Lang Lang with a combination of charm, wit and intensity.
Although Beethoven adopted the four-movement sonata structure from Joseph Haydn, he didn't always follow its conventions strictly. Haydn had already remarked on this in connection with Beethoven’s Op. 1 piano trios, which were also dedicated to his esteemed teacher. Reportedly, Haydn advised against publishing the trios, considering them too complex and impassioned for the Viennese public. The subsequent commercial success of the works, however, proved otherwise.
Haydn nevertheless recognized the genius behind Beethoven’s at times arrogant demeanor. In 1793, he wrote to Beethoven’s patron, Elector and Archbishop Maximilian II Franz, stating that "Beethoven will in time take his place among the greatest musical artists in Europe, and I shall be proud to call myself his teacher."
Notable in Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 2, is not only its virtuosity but also its thematic development. In the second movement, the solemn Adagio, he introduces echoes of the main theme from the first movement, shaped as a musical dialogue of question and answer. These motifs reappear later (15:17) and again at the end of the movement.
The virtuosic Scherzo and the final fast Allegro demand the highest level of technical skill from the pianist — no challenge for Lang Lang. When the Chinese pianist recorded Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata in Vienna for Sony Music in 2010, he was already a global star among piano virtuosos at the age of 27. Beethoven, meanwhile, composed this sonata at 25, close in age to Lang Lang at the time of the recording. In this performance, a young Lang Lang interprets a young, forward-looking Beethoven, captured during a grand Vienna concert in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.
Text: Gaby Reucher
© 2010 Sony Classical International
Find more concerts here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
in our playlist featuring pieces for solo piano: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV8VQOtGGTUYSryvB_k8Wl-
in our Beethoven playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBWcX1eOXH-w75x-_-7gRF-w
and in our playlist with great works from the Classical period: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBUCHNKKxIIM88sntDk1TVih
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#beethoven#pianosonata#langlang
Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 2, stands as a milestone in piano literature. Written by a young and exuberant Ludwig van Beethoven, it is filled with unexpected turns and dazzling virtuosity. It feels almost tailor-made for the Chinese star pianist Lang Lang. This recording was made on January 28, 2010, in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein during his concert in Vienna.
(00:00) I. Allegro con brio
(10:56) II. Adagio
(20:02) III. Scherzo. Allegro
(23:11) IV: Allegro assai
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) is often described — at least in his later years — as gloomy, irritable and temperamental — a change frequently attributed to his progressive hearing loss, from which he suffered at the age of 27. In his youth, however, the classical composer was said to have quite a different character: full of humor, social and above all an outstanding pianist.
This more lighthearted side of Beethoven is once again evident in his Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2. His second "Opus" consists of three piano sonatas dedicated to the renowned composer Joseph Haydn, with whom Beethoven spent over a year in 1792 exchanging ideas and receiving a form of compositional instruction.
The third of these sonatas was written in 1795, during Beethoven’s early years in Vienna. The fact that he assigned an opus number to these sonatas, just as he had previously done with his Piano Trios, Op. 1, shows his intention for the works to be preserved and taken seriously by the musical world. They were an early success in Vienna, helping establish him not only as a virtuoso pianist but also as a forward-looking composer.
The Third Sonata is generally considered the most distinguished of the set and, at the same time, the most demanding for performers. Humor, playful passages (09:36), and virtuosic brilliance — especially in the fiery first movement and the joyful fourth — define the work. It is performed here by the Chinese pianist Lang Lang with a combination of charm, wit and intensity.
Although Beethoven adopted the four-movement sonata structure from Joseph Haydn, he didn't always follow its conventions strictly. Haydn had already remarked on this in connection with Beethoven’s Op. 1 piano trios, which were also dedicated to his esteemed teacher. Reportedly, Haydn advised against publishing the trios, considering them too complex and impassioned for the Viennese public. The subsequent commercial success of the works, however, proved otherwise.
Haydn nevertheless recognized the genius behind Beethoven’s at times arrogant demeanor. In 1793, he wrote to Beethoven’s patron, Elector and Archbishop Maximilian II Franz, stating that "Beethoven will in time take his place among the greatest musical artists in Europe, and I shall be proud to call myself his teacher."
Notable in Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 2, is not only its virtuosity but also its thematic development. In the second movement, the solemn Adagio, he introduces echoes of the main theme from the first movement, shaped as a musical dialogue of question and answer. These motifs reappear later (15:17) and again at the end of the movement.
The virtuosic Scherzo and the final fast Allegro demand the highest level of technical skill from the pianist — no challenge for Lang Lang. When the Chinese pianist recorded Beethoven’s Third Piano Sonata in Vienna for Sony Music in 2010, he was already a global star among piano virtuosos at the age of 27. Beethoven, meanwhile, composed this sonata at 25, close in age to Lang Lang at the time of the recording. In this performance, a young Lang Lang interprets a young, forward-looking Beethoven, captured during a grand Vienna concert in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.
Text: Gaby Reucher
© 2010 Sony Classical International
Find more concerts here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
in our playlist featuring pieces for solo piano: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV8VQOtGGTUYSryvB_k8Wl-
in our Beethoven playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBWcX1eOXH-w75x-_-7gRF-w
and in our playlist with great works from the Classical period: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBUCHNKKxIIM88sntDk1TVih
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#beethoven#pianosonata#langlang
