Henle has announced a newly revised edition of Beethoven's "Pastorale" Sonata op.28. $9.95. This edition is considered to be an outstanding performance edition. The release arrives as the sixth installment in Murray Perahia's project as co-editor of the complete sonatas, with Norbert Gertsch. In addition to Mr. Perahia's own fingering, there is an illuminating preface and an extensive critical commentary in this affordable single edition.

Here's what Beethoven himself had to say: "My compositions are very profitable for me and I can say that I have more orders than are almost possible for me to fulfill." Beethoven wrote the latter to a friend in 1801. He had only just completed his "Moonlight Sonata" op. 27 No. 2, when he began writing down the first sketches for his Sonata op. 28. Elements of pastoral music, such as the dance-like triple metre as well as pedal notes and fifths in the bass, which seem to imitate bagpipes, are reminiscent of the later 6th Symphony. The rustic character gave rise to the work's epithet "Sonate Pastorale". Following a thorough revision, we are now presenting this sonata in an affordable single edition for the first time.