Serenade in G major, Op.25

It is all too easy to underestimate Beethoven’s Serenade in G. Presented in divertimento form and scored for three instruments in the upper and middle ranges of the pitch spectrum - with no cello or bassoon to add weight to the ensemble - it might seem as light in thought as it is in texture. Indeed, the Entrata, which is based on little more than a fanfare figure, is not of enormous interest, playfully phrased and brightly coloured though it is. There is nothing very special about the Menuetto either, in spite of its two trio sections and the bravura opportunities they offer violin, viola and flute in turn. But then there is the peculiarly urgent Allegro molto in D minor with its off-beat rhythmic stresses and the dynamic contrasts in the coda.

The theme of the Andante con variazioni is introduced by double-stopped violin and viola as though by a whole string quartet and the scoring is no less resourceful in the variations, the third of which is outstanding for its flexible viola part. While the outer sections of the Allegro scherzando are based on a simple scalic theme, the D minor middle section is very much more thoughtful. By now nothing less than a full-scale finale, like this one with its Adagio introduction and its neatly developed rondo construction, will do.

Written in about 1796?, the Serenade in G was published in its original trio form in 1802 as Op.25 and in an arrangement (by Franz Kleinherz but approved by Beethoven) for flute and piano in 1803 as Op.41.