How did Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven handle the return of the recapitulation differently?

In the context of sonata form, the transition from the development section to the recapitulation is a critical psychological moment. While all three Classical masters typically prepare for this return with a long passage of gathering tension, they differ in their approach to the arrival itself:1

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: He manages the return of the tonic key and subject with understated punctuality. In his works, the actual moment of recapitulation often glides in almost unnoticed.1
• Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven: Both composers tend to celebrate the advent of the recapitulation with greater panoply.1

Regarding the treatment of musical material, Mozart often reshaped his second subjects drastically when they reappeared in the recapitulation. Conversely, while Haydn and Beethoven also utilized far-reaching modifications and reshufflings of original material in many of their works, their approaches were highly individual. Ultimately, regardless of the specific method, the goal for all three composers remained the same: to bring about a reconciliation of opposites, resolving the key conflicts established in the exposition.21