Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Opus 15
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Beethoven’s five piano concertos were written between 1793 and 1809. The first two concertos, moving beyond chamber works to concert stage, were quite experimental, intending to fill the palpable void in Vienna for this genre of composition left by the death of Mozart in 1791.
Read moreString Trio, Opus 9, no. 3
The third of the Opus 9 string trios is a masterwork in C-minor, the tonality associated with some of Beethoven's most dramatic works (think of the "Pathétique" and Opus 111 piano sonatas, for example).
Read more
String Trio, Opus 9, no. 2
The Opus 9 no. 2 string trio differs from its siblings in its quietly introspective character, with Beethoven's melodic genius fully on display, especially in the second and fourth movements.
Read more
String Trio, Opus 9, no. 1
Beethoven's Opus 9 is a delightful set of three string trios, deserving of broader popularity than they enjoy today. They were dedicated to one of his early patrons, Count Johann George von Browne, the son of an Irish soldier of fortune who had risen to the rank of major general in the Russian army.
Read more
String Trio, Opus 3
Friday, March 5, 2021
Beethoven's earliest chamber works were composed for string trio (violin, viola, and cello).
Read moreFour Spanish Songs
George Thomson was an Edinburgh-based publisher and collector of folk music, who commissioned classical arrangements of traditional folk melodies from composers such as Pleyel, Kozeluch, Weber, and Haydn.
Wind Octet, Opus 103
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Despite its high Opus number (103), the Wind Octet in E-flat Major was composed in 1792 when Beethoven was still in service to the Elector in Bonn.
Read moreAh, Perfido!
In his youth, Beethoven had been steeped in the Italian vocal tradition, often playing the continuo for visiting opera troupes and composing variations on popular operatic numbers. The concert aria "Ah, Perfido!" (Oh! Deceiver!), composed shortly after his arrival in Vienna, remains a favorite among sopranos today.