Ludwig van Beethoven : Piano Sonata ("Moonlight Sonata") No. 14, 1st movement

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata unfolds its characteristic sound in the first movement not so much through thematic contrasts as through a continuous, undulating movement of the accompanying figures, which creates the impression of a floating passage of time. It is also striking that the work’s main dramatic tension is not concentrated at the beginning, but rather in the gradual build-up to the final movement, resulting in an unusual shift in the classical sonata form.