Piano Sonata No. 3 (Brahms)
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The Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 of Johannes Brahms was written in 1853. The sonata is unusually large, consisting of five movements, as opposed to his traditional four. When he wrote this piano sonata, the genre was seen by many to be past its heyday. Brahms, enamored with Beethoven and the classical style composed Piano Sonata No. 3 with a masterful combination of free Romantic spirit, and strict classical architecture. As a further testament to Brahms' affinity for Beethoven, the Piano Sonata is infused with the instantly recognizable motive from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Composed in Düsseldorf, it marks the end of his cycle of three sonatas, and was presented to Robert Schumann in November of that year; it was the last work which Brahms submitted to Schumann for commentary. Brahms was barely 20 years old at its composition.
The sonata is in five movements:
- Allegro maestoso
- Andante. Andante espressivo - Andante molto
- Scherzo. Allegro energico avec trio
- Intermezzo (Rückblick / Regard en arrière) Andante molto
- Finale. Allegro moderato ma rubato
A performance of the work generally lasts 40 minutes or more.
