Beethoven, Archduke Trio

In recent years the Storioni Trio has established itself as the leading Dutch piano trio. On this disc they perform two of Beethoven’s major works, the Triple Concerto opus 56, and the “Archduke” Trio opus 97. They are joined in the concerto by the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jan Willem de Vriend.

In recent years the Storioni Trio has established itself as the leading Dutch piano trio. On this disc they perform two of Beethoven’s major works, the Triple Concerto opus 56, and the “Archduke” Trio opus 97. They are joined in the concerto by the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jan Willem de Vriend.

The Beaux Arts Trio's 1964 recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Archduke" and "Ghost" trios have long been staples in the catalog, despite being superseded in 1979 by more polished recordings. To avoid confusion, the 2013 reissue in the Virtuoso series on Decca is merely a repackaging of the 1964 Philips sessions, which also include the early "Gassenhauer" Trio.

In recent years the Storioni Trio has established itself as the leading Dutch piano trio. On this disc they perform two of Beethoven’s major works, the Triple Concerto opus 56, and the “Archduke” Trio opus 97. They are joined in the concerto by the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jan Willem de Vriend.

It’s a measure of the paucity of recordings of the Cortot-Thibaud-Casals trio – itself a direct result of their deliberately limited repertoire – that this latest release in Naxos’s series has only one performance by the Trio itself. This all-Beethoven affair presents the Archduke Trio, supported by Thibaud and Cortot’s Kreutzer and the only recording ever made by Casals and Cortot as a duo, the Mozart Variations.

The Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, by Ludwig van Beethoven is a piano trio completed in 1811. It is commonly referred to as the Archduke Trio, because it was dedicated to Archduke Rudolph of Austria, the youngest of twelve children of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. Rudolf was an amateur pianist and a patron, friend, and composition student of Beethoven. Beethoven dedicated about a dozen compositions to him.

What ensemble could be more predestined for Ludwig van Beethovens piano trios than the Vienna Piano Trio? Following its brilliant beginning with the Trios op. 70, this top ensemble from Vienna now presents the magnificent and mighty Archduke Trio op. 97 in surprisingly close album association with the standout Trio in C minor from op. 1, a work with trailblazing qualities that immediately caught Joseph Haydns attention. And with a beginning that must have immediately irritated listeners of those times: is that still the introduction or already the theme?

The Weiss Kaplan Stumpf Trio's highly anticipated BEETHOVEN: COMPLETE PIANO TRIOS (BRIDGE 9505A/C three CDs) is now available. The stellar New York City based trio (Yael Weiss, piano; Mark Kaplan, violin; Peter Stumpf, cello) offer deep, beautifully rendered interpretations of eight immortal masterworks.