Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) composed his Piano Sonata No. 2 in A flat major in 1816, four years after his Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major and just before his Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor. Like Weber's other piano works, his Sonata in A flat major is a virtuoso work with singing melodies and dramatic structures. The opening Allegro moderato, Con spirito ed assai legato is a large-scale sonata with lyrical themes and stormy developments. The following Andante is a weird graceful theme with a set of spooky variations. The following Menuetto capriccioso/Presto assai is a fast and witty virtuoso scherzo and a grandly lyrical trio. The closing Rondo (Moderato e molto grazioso) is warmly lyrical and expansively dramatic. And like Weber's other piano works, his Piano Sonata in A flat major is pretty much ignored by most pianists.

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