Mozart’s only piano sonata in A major is by far his most popular. Its opening movement is unusually a set of variations on an elegant theme marked
Andante grazioso. The six variations get progressively more fascinating and hypnotic without the need for any displays of brilliance until the final one. This Sonata is of course famous for the
Alla Turca finale with its simple and compelling alternation of major and minor and its infectious main theme. Beethoven’s
Eroica Variations are named after the theme from the Finale of the famous Symphony. They are the most substantial set of Variations outside the famous set he wrote for Diabelli many years later and are marked by the inclusion of a fugue instead of simply repeating the theme. All in all a cheerful start to the day
