“Appassionata” Sonata, Op. 57 · III. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto

The piece

Beethoven ends his F minor Sonata Op. 57, published in Vienna in 1807 and dedicated to Count Franz von Brunsvik, with this breathless finale; the "Appassionata" nickname comes from a Hamburg publisher in 1838. Marked Allegro ma non troppo, it unfolds an almost unbroken stream of sixteenth notes. Beethoven asks for the whole second half to be repeated, as this version does, before a Presto coda in chords.

The first challenge is stamina: more than eight minutes of continuous motion. Do not hit the sixteenths; keep the wrist supple and use arm weight for the sforzandos. The left hand alternates arpeggios and repeated chords: practise each hand alone at a reduced tempo, then together. The final Presto changes the gesture, with full chords in both hands; save some strength for it and never take it faster than you can sustain to the end.