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A freshness emanates from the opening of the ‘Pastoral’ Sonata; its pulsing bass is akin to a beating heart, bearing the promise of a continuous, unstoppable flow. Whether or not the nickname ‘Pastoral’ was approved by Beethoven himself, it is wonderfully fitting – the music strongly evokes nature, especially in the first and last movements. There is an unhurried gentleness throughout, climaxes are broad and harmonious, and the many ‘simple’ chords (triads and their inversions) lend the music an aura of stability and calmness which we rarely associate with Beethoven. But more than a simplistic depiction, to me the first movement is an exploration of the mystery of life, from its first beginnings, evoking a sense of wonder and requiring utmost love and care, to the rich abundance of life’s full bloom, captured by Beethoven in multifaceted, sensitive, breathing strokes. And through it all, the pulsing bass weaves in and out, speaking of Life’s never-ending continuity. The second movement’s
