Vladimir Horowitz
performs
Beethoven's
I. Adagio Sostenuto

"Moonlight Sonata"

Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's opus 27 no. 2 is the Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor "Quasi una fantasia" (Italian: Like (similar to) a fantasy), popularly known as the "Moonlight Sonata."

Beethoven wrote this sonata in 1801 and dedicated it to his pupil, the 17-year-old Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, with whom he was (or, according to some accounts, had been) in love. In 1832, several years after Beethoven's death, the poet Ludwig Rellstab compared the music to moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne. Since then, it has been known as the Moonlight Sonata.

The Moonlight Sonata is one of Beethoven's most popular works, and it is frequently performed and recorded.