Type: Piano solo
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Program: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”
Soloist: Daniel Barenboim
Location: Palais Rasumofsky, Vienna, Austria
Year: 1984

Piano Sonata No. 16 is the “Appassionata”. Fierce and dramatic, this is one of Beethoven’s most explosive works. Barenboim plays the opening movement with brooding tension and controlled power, allowing the music’s quiet menace to build into surging, volcanic intensity. The central Andante offers a brief but profound contrast, and the finale erupts with relentless momentum. This performance captures the “Appassionata” as a display of virtuosity that is disciplined and devastating.