Piano Trio No. 1 in B‑Flat Major

Of the two piano trios Schubert composed in late 1827, around a year before his premature death, the first in B flat is often considered the lighter, more lyrical and relaxed, in comparison to the Beethovenian seriousness of its twin work in E flat. Certainly, the confident gait of the piano and the soaring unison string melody of the opening instantly evoke the forests and fields outside Vienna in which Schubert loved walking; so too the drooping cello melody that provides contrast in this spacious “Allegro moderato”. The slow movement passes a gentle lullaby tune between the three instruments, adorning it with a range of countermelodies as it proceeds. The ambling “Scherzo” gives way to a waltz-like “Trio”, while the unassuming theme of the closing rondo is interrupted by a bold unison figure, the extended dialogue of the movement resulting from the many ingenious ways Schubert finds to contrast and combine these two types of music.