Notes by Margaret Scialdone

Both of the Opus 27 sonatas are titled “Sonata quasi una Fantasia” (‘like a fantasy’). The first is frequently neglected in favor of its famous sibling, the so-called “Moonlight”, but everyone who has ever played it loves it. It was dedicated to his student Princess Josephine von Liechtenstein, whose husband maintained an orchestra and sponsored concerts in his palace.

This beautiful performance of Opus 27 no. 1 is by the Croatian pianist Aljoša Jurinić: