Anne-Sophie Mutter, Violin
Yefim Bronfman, Piano
Pablo Ferrández, Cello
Performers
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Violin
Yefim Bronfman, Piano
Pablo Ferrández, Cello
Program
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, "Archduke"
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Trio
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission. Please note that there will be no late seating before intermission.Listen to Selected Works
At a Glance
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, “Archduke”
Dedicated to Beethoven’s patron and pupil Archduke Rudolph, the “Archduke” Trio is the last and most overtly symphonic of the composer’s seven canonic piano trios (excluding variations, arrangements, and juvenilia). Along with such expansive and formally innovative works as the “Emperor” Piano Concerto, the “Hammerklavier” Piano Sonata, and the Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major—all dedicated to Rudolph—it exemplifies the “heroic” style of Beethoven’s so-called middle period.
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50
Despite his proven ability to write effectively for both piano and string instruments, Tchaikovsky had misgivings about combining them in a chamber ensemble. “The warm and singing tone of the violin and the cello sounds limited beside that king of instruments, the pianoforte, while the latter strives in vain to prove that it can sing like its rivals,” he observed. Ultimately, however, Tchaikovsky set his reservations aside in composing the A-Minor Piano Trio. All three instruments preserve their distinctive personalities, while blending their voices in a passionately lyrical utterance.