The third movement of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 28, Op. 101, begins as a slow, searching Adagio and becomes a transition to the finale. Decorated upper phrases unfold above quiet bass notes and chords. The texture gradually grows more active, then opens into a written cadenza. A brief recollection of the sonata’s first movement leads to a rapid flourish and trills.

Adagio opening: Slurred eighth notes and small groups of quicker notes shape the right-hand line. Sustained bass notes and softly changing lower chords support it, with an una corda marking at the beginning. The upper part expands into intervals and fuller chords as the phrase rises. Near the end of the opening page, the right hand pauses and the left hand continues alone with a dolce espressivo figure.

Decorated continuation: The opening gesture returns with answering figures in the lower part. Triplet decorations and short runs become more prominent in the upper melody. The left hand then supplies broken sixteenth notes around held bass tones, while upper chords and inner notes overlap. Crescendos strengthen the passage before a fermata introduces a freer section.

Cadenza and recollection: The cadenza is written in smaller notes under the instruction Non presto. Short rising groups lead into a longer descending line, with sustained lower sound and pedal beneath it. The music then changes to six-eight and recalls the first movement’s opening theme at its original pace. Pauses interrupt this quiet recollection. A stringendo passage gathers momentum, followed by a Presto descent and three rising trills with fermatas. These prepare the Allegro finale that follows.

Interesting fact: The instruction Tempo del primo pezzo explicitly calls for the tempo of the first movement when its opening material returns near the end of this transition.