Piano Trio in G major, Op.1, No.2

The Piano Trio in G major is the least radical, probably the earliest and certainly, in structural terms, the most ambitious of the three that were published as Beethoven’s Op.1 in1795. The symphonic breadth of the work as a whole is suggested by the length of the slow introduction which, after performing its primary function of anticipating the main theme of the Allegro vivace on the very first entry of the violin, extends itself in a different direction at the prompting of an improvisatory piano. The thematic material of the Allegro vivace - the first subject definitively presented by the piano as soon as the tempo changes and the second subject cheerfully introduced by the violin after a dramatic transition - might seem too flimsy to sustain anything more than a modest construction. Beethoven is characteristically resourceful in his development, however, and still has ideas in reserve to motivate an eventful recapitulation and coda.

The Largo con espressione is Beethoven’s answer to the sublime Larghetto of Mozart’s Piano Trio in B flat, K.502. Based on a theme with just a hint of a rueful Papageno in its opening phrase, it is a lyrical effusion elaborately detailed in its scoring for both piano and violin. The second subject, which is approached by a little cadenza on the piano, is a particularly pretty invention, delicately coloured on its introduction by being confined to the upper half of the keyboard and exquisitely expressive in its chromatic line and its syncopated pauses for breath. The cello has little of interest to do until the brief development section, where it issues quiet reminders of the main theme from its lower register, and it is rewarded for its patience by being given a share of that theme on its recapitulation.

The Scherzo - unlike Haydn’s and Mozart’s, all but one of Beethoven’s piano trios include a scherzo or minuet equivalent after the slow movement - is an essentially Viennese conception. Its rustic main theme, introduced on the C-string of the cello, its playful counterpoint and the Hungarian colouring of the middle section are all evidence of that. The Presto finale, on the other hand, with its naively galloping first theme, is the least sophisticated movement in all three of the Op.1 trios. It is not, however, the least entertaining: youthful high spirits and a ready wit sustain the interest of its sonata-form construction to the very last bar.

The least radical of the Op.1 set, the Piano Trio in G major is probably also the earliest. Some of it might even have been written in Bonn before Beethoven left for Vienna in 1792. The fact that it is also the longest - longer, indeed, than any of the Piano Trios except the “Archduke” - is no argument against an early date. Beethoven was not unambitious in his early twenties and it is quite likely that he set out here to out-compose both Haydn and Mozart in a piano trio not only more colourfully scored but also more expansive in its proportions than any of theirs.

The symphonic breadth of the work as a whole is suggested by the length of the slow introduction which, after performing its primary function of anticipating the main theme of the Allegro vivace on the very first entry of the violin, extends itself in a different direction at the prompting of an improvisatory piano. The thematic material of the Allegro vivace - the first subject definitively presented by the piano as soon as the tempo changes and the second subject cheerfully introduced by the violin after a dramatic transition - might seem too flimsy to sustain anything more than a modest construction. Beethoven is characteristically resourceful in his development, however, and still has ideas in reserve to motivate an eventful recapitulation and coda.

The Largo con espressione, which is only marginally shorter than the Andante cantabile of the “Archduke,” is Beethoven’s answer to the sublime Larghetto of Mozart’s Piano Trio in B flat, K.502. Based on a theme with just a hint of a rueful Papageno in its opening phrase, it is a lyrical effusion elaborately detailed in its scoring for both piano and violin. The second subject, which is approached by a little cadenza on the piano, is a particularly pretty invention, delicately coloured on its introduction by being confined to the upper half of the keyboard and exquisitely expressive in its chromatic line and its syncopated pauses for breath. The cello has little of interest to do until the brief development section, where it issues quiet reminders of the main theme from its lower register, and it is rewarded for its patience by being given a share of that theme on its recapitulation.

The Scherzo - unlike Haydn’s and Mozart’s, all but one of Beethoven’s piano trios include a scherzo or minuet equivalent after the slow movement - is an essentially Viennese conception. Its rustic main theme, introduced on the C-string of the cello, its playful counterpoint and the Hungarian colouring of the middle section are all evidence of that. The Presto finale, on the other hand, with its naively galloping first theme, is the least sophisticated movement in all three of the Op.1 trios. It is not, however, the least entertaining: youthful high spirits and a ready wit sustain the interest of its sonata-form construction to the very last bar.