(piano)
Beethoven's A flat sonata of 1801, one of the first flowerings of his ' second period," is unconventional in form. Instead of an Allegro for an opening movement, there is an Andante con variazioni (five beautifully contrasted changes rung upon a noble theme), which is followed by a scherzo and trio instead of the slow movement. This comes third, in the shape of the well-known Funeral March (a conception which was to be echoed two years later in the ' Eroica ' symphony). The lovely sunlight of the final rondo, after the solemnity of the Funeral March, is one of Beethoven's happiest inspirations. J. H. Davits