Beethoven: Sonata in G maj, No.2 (Kovacevich, Yokoyama)

B.’s 10th is one of those sonatas whose lyricism and gentle humor belie its exquisite craftsmanship. The first movement, for instance, has several themes that are certainly distinct (the first is rather Bachian, the second is arch-typical Viennese, the third is duet-like), but they’re definitely not contrasting in the classical sense of the word. And there’s a cunning rhythmic trick played right from the opening bar, where the theme actually enters half a beat earlier than you hear it (you’ll definitely hear the first beat on the LH G; try listening to it “correctly” and the whole movement will transform in your head), which sets up a subtle but definite moment of rhythmic disorientation when the high melody enters in m.4. And in a sly acknowledgement of this trick, B. actually corrects this deceptive rhythm in the coda. The second movement is the first theme-and-variation movement B. would put in his sonatas, and is pretty explicitly humorous, though some variations are straightforwardly lyrical (it