piano sonata Ab-Major op. 110 - for orchestra

[gprengel]

I ended the last year with making a new recording of my orchestration of Beethoven's Ab-Major sonata op. 110.
Did you know that this sonata is the only sonata without a dedication? Acutally Beethoven dedicated it to his "Immortal Beloved" who died in March 1821, the year when Beethoven wrote this work which someone has titled "Requiem" for Josephine. Here my orchestration of the final movement with the heartbreaking Arioso dolente and the great fugue:

http://www.gerdprengel.de/Beeth_op110_III_orch.mp3

[Fidelio]

This sonata was commissioned by the publisher (Schlesinger, Berlin). Beethoven had no plans to compose any more sonatas for awhile after the Op. 106, as he was busy with three large scale works, the 9th symphony, Diabelli Varations and the Missa Solemnis. However this changed in April 1820 when Schlesinger wrote to him. In B's reply dated 30 April 1820, he offered to write a set of 3 new piano sonatas, B wrote to Schlesinger on 01 May 1822 promising to name a dedicatee, but he neglected to do so before it was published in July/august of that year. So, as you have already said, Op. 110 is the only one of his late sonatas that lacks a dedication.