Rondo for piano in G major, Op. 51/2
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Rondo for piano in G major, Op. 51/2
- Date: ca. 1798
- Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
- Period: Classical (1750-1819)
Review
Despite its opus number, this is actually a work of Beethoven's very early maturity. The second rondo of the Op. 51 set is more elaborate than its companion, which had been written some years earlier. Technically it's a rondo-sonata, developing two contrasting themes. The first theme is not quite as ornate (and insubstantial) as had been Beethoven's wont in his slow keyboard music only a few years before, but it remains rather courtly. Decoration piles on as the theme develops, but then is stripped away for restatements of the theme in more or less its original form. The rondo notion is justified by the contrasting middle section, an Allegretto in E major. It's delicate and lyrical, but underlying the tune is an unsettled accompaniment of short, repeated notes that soon infects the theme with its agitation. All this is put to rest by an extensive repeat of the opening section. Beethoven originally intended to dedicate this rondo to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, but for reasons of patronage he instead dedicated his "Moonlight" Sonata to her, inscribing the lesser and more conventional Op. 51 rondos to Countess Henrietta Lichnowsky. ~ James Reel, RoviAlbums with Complete Performances of the Work
| Rondo for piano in F minor | |
| Rondo for piano trio in D major |
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Rondo for piano in G major, Op. 51/2
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