Sonata in E minor op. 90

It was not until 1814, five years after the Sonata op. 81 “Les Adieux”, that Beethoven, then at the height of his popularity during the Congress of Vienna, returned to the piano sonata. The highly lyrical Sonata in E minor, the last piano sonata from his middle period, consists of two movements with solely German tempo marks and is dedicated to his piano-playing friend and patron, Moritz Count von Lichnowsky.

In terms of technical difficulty regarding Beethoven’s later piano sonatas, this sonata is one of the more accessible for advanced students.