OK, enough with the preamble. Here is the exposition of the first movement. (MUSIC) Like so many of the first movements of the early sonatas, wit and athleticism are the main features here – in this case, it’s pretty evenly balanced between those two qualities. In fact, that’s true right from the opening theme. This theme is a classic short-short-long, just like the opening of opus 2 no. 2. (MUSIC) But in the case of opus 22, there is something about the extreme compression of the two short phrases, and perhaps more significantly, about the silences in between them, that gives it humor. Those first two little phrases (MUSIC) are tiny – three beats each; they are identical; and harmonically, they go nowhere. The combination of those elements creates a sly since of expectation: like a toddler glancing at you mischievously before running full speed across the room... and then, in the long third component of the phrase, Beethoven does run across the room, or at least across the majority of the keyboard, as that pent-up energy is let loose. (MUSIC) See: humor and virtuosity. It’s playful, but it’s also most definitely brilliant – it wants to sound impressive. So, that’s the first of the many parallels with op. 7: this blend of humor and virtuosity, though in the case of opus 7, the scales are tipped a bit towards the virtuosity. (MUSIC) There is definitely a sense of fun, but it’s all a bit sturdier and more determined. For starters, the theme itself (MUSIC) doesn’t have those winking silences of opus 22, (MUSIC) which really lighten the mood. So the next order of business is the second theme group – on the dominant of F Major, naturally, this not being a rule-breaking piece. I say second theme "group" because there are in fact two themes, one coming right on the heels of the other. Really, everything in this movement is high-spirited, but within that, there is some variety: the first of the themes is a bit more dolce, (MUSIC) whereas the second is more robust. (MUSIC) This again unfolds in a very similar fashion to opus 7, which also has two "second themes", the first a bit jocular, (MUSIC) and the second very dolce, even amabile. (MUSIC) So, the individual characters of the themes are slightly different in the two sonatas, but the sequence of events is nearly identical. Op. 22’s exposition also has a closing theme, which is the furthest it ever moves away from the generally joyous character. (MUSIC) There’s a touch of foreboding here which, as we shall see, does play out in the development. This is also the moment when the narrative of the movement diverges most from opus 7, whose closing theme is totally triumphant, irrepressible and even wild. (MUSIC) You hear those two closing themes back to back, and you start to really feel the difference in scope and ambition between the two works: where opus 22 is charming, opus 7 is reaching for the rafters.