♫ There is, however, a limit to the similarity between Haydn and Beethoven. Haydn's slow movements, such as the one from the A flat piano sonata I played earlier, ♫ they have piety, but not much in the way of intensity. Beethoven didn't do anything without intensity, and opus 2 no. 2’s slow movement is no exception. Given the extraordinary marking of “Largo Appassionato” -- a marking I don't believe he ever used again -- Beethoven makes it clear up front that this movement might be slow, but it still has its urgency. The pizzicato bass of the opening already does that, ♫ and the close of the A section, which has offbeat accents and many harmonic events, and moves to a fortissimo climax, acts as the fulfillment of the restrained fervor that the movement opened with. ♫ So, I'm still determined not to get too nitty gritty with this particular sonata, but I do want to say a few words about how this movement is constructed. Its form has a bit in common with the slow movement of the Pathetique -- an “A” section which comes three times, with two intervening episodes. First, in the case of the Pathetique, this one: ♫ Then this one: ♫ In op. 2 no. 2,that model holds up pretty solidly through the first episode -- the "B" episode -- which is also in minor. ♫ But the analogy with the Pathetique doesn’t quite hold up through the second, or “C” episode. In the Pathetique, we once again move into minor, ♫ making it instantly clear that this is another contrasting episode. In op. 2 no. 2, however, the second episode remains in the movement’s home key of D Major, and at first seems like it could be a coda. ♫ But then it continues, adorned, and then leads to the most dramatic outburst in the movement, and in a certain way, the whole piece. ♫ This fortissimo, minor-key iteration of the opening feels almost like a fulfillment of something promised. It is the clearest demonstration yet that the opening is not serene, but as Beethoven tells us, “Appassionato”. And it is therefore a move that Haydn, in spite of having had all the ideas in the world, would have been unlikely to make. Having built to this terrific dramatic climax, the C episode leads back to the third and final A -- decorated, this time -- but somehow, having come through all of that drama, more serene and grounded than before. ♫ The coda is again in the vein of the Pathetique -- hushed and simple. That dramatic outburst, ♫ and then the final return of the chorale, have already done the work of setting the atmosphere. The coda preserves it by virtue of its simplicity.