Beethoven: Klavrn tria – 2 CD

This two-CD classical music set presents Ludwig van Beethovens piano trios performed by the Smetana Trio: Jitka echov on piano, Jan Talich on violin and Jan Plenek on cello. It includes the Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1 No. 3; the Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, Archduke; the Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70 No. 1, Ghost; and the Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 70 No. 2. From the first set of trios Beethoven accepted for publication, it was clear that the young composer would not merely follow the rules of composition, but would spend his life examining, extending and reshaping them, often at the limits of what his contemporaries could understand. He experiments with form and harmony in this instrumentation as well. The mysterious slow movement of the D-major trio, with its unusual modulations, may have originated in a planned witch scene for a musical adaptation of Shakespeares Macbeth and possibly gave the work its Ghost Trio nickname. In Op. 97, Beethoven gives all three instruments equal status and room to display their technical and expressive possibilities. The Smetana Trios recording marks a contribution to the Beethoven discography made for the composers 250th birthday anniversary.