Next to the Kreutzer sonata, this is Beethoven's most dramatic and passionate violin sonata, perhaps reflecting the composer's rage at his impending deafness. The first movement starts with a defiant arpeggiated theme, and despite attempting to settle in C major is dragged back to C minor in the dramatic coda. The second and third movements provide some respite from the drama, an Adagio providing textural variations on a theme and a quicksilver Scherzo. The finale attempts to reassert this optimism but ultimately lapses back into the turbulent drama which underpins this work. Here you can purchase and download the piano parts to play along to, recorded by a professional accompanist.