The Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 dating from 1801, the same year as the two previous works, was given the title “Pastorale” by Hamburg publisher August Cranz. The bucolic quality is observable especially in the dance rhythms of the final movement, reminiscent of the sonata genre's precursor: the dance suite. This performance is taken from Daniel Barenboim's highly esteemed complete rendition of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, recorded at the Schloss Hetzendorf, Vienna, Austria, in 1983.
