The 9th Sonata isn’t well known, probably due to a combination of its relatively diminutive proportions and slight air of oddness, but it definitely deserves to be. The striking first movement is an excellent example of how a good development section (see also the 6th sonata, and to a lesser extent the 5th and 7th) does not really need to develop material to be effective – here, the relevant sense of tension is generated by the inclusion of a completely new theme in the development, the first truly lyrical moment in the sonata (and B., in the manuscript, actually writes, “without developing the theme”). The movement is also a classic example of B.’s motivic style: the first theme group consists of rising 4ths (over an E pedal), scales, and then arpeggios, while the second theme group begins with a naked descending and rising (chromatic) scale. It’s pretty extraordinary how much drama B. wrings from such humble material, often with the aid of some very beautiful quartet-like counterpoint. The second movement is notable for some of the rather late-Renaissance-ish harmonies B. uses, and the last movement is pretty funny: the main theme involves the RH, while rising, getting hopelessly jammed on an A, while the LH continues making its way down the keyboard, happily ignoring whatever dissonance it generates against that A above. It’s also a nice example of B.’s skill at continuously developing a rondo’s theme with each recurrence, and the middle episode has a particularly pleasing concerto-like moment. MVT I, Allegro EXPOSITION 00:00 – Theme 1 00:19 – Transition, using Theme 1 with chromatically rising inner part. At 0:24 a new transition theme is introduced 00:34 – Theme Group 2, Theme 1. A single vocal line, descending diatonically and rising chromatically. Repeated with imitation. 00:58 – Theme Group 2, Theme 2. 01:10 – Theme Group 2, Theme 3. 01:27 – Cadential Theme, using Theme 1 under an inverted pedal DEVELOPMENT 03:06 – Theme 1, moving into A min 03:13 – New Episodic Theme, which occurs no-where else in the piece. In the manuscript B. actually explicitly writes at this point, “without developing the theme” (meaning the sonata’s main themes). The texture here is eerily Schubertian – probably the first time something like this was written for piano. 03:37 – Theme 1, developed over 10 bars of dwelling on the dominant RECAPITULATION 03:52 – Theme 1, now with forte scales in LH. At 4:10, a magical movement in to C maj, implied to be the Neapolitan of B min 04:17 – Transition 04:28 – Theme Group 2 05:21 – Cadential Theme 05:32 – CODA MVT II, Allegretto 05:51 – A Section/minuet. The middle strain at 6:04 has a rather Renaissance feel. At 6:33 a codetta, using figuration from m.4 and with closing with an implied (and impossible) portamento at 6:42 06:43 – B Section/trio. 07:24 – A Section 08:16 – Coda, which deceptively begins like the trio MVT III, Rondo: Allegro comodo 08:31 – Theme, modulating into B 08:58 – Episode 1 09:11 – Theme, modulating into G 09:31 – Episode 2, with a mini-cadenza at 9:44 10:15 – Theme, modulating into A 10:34 – Episode 1, modulating into F, before using a tritone switch to move into the home dominant 10:48 – Theme, with syncopation