Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major

There is a wistful sentimentality in the expansive melodies stretching across the first movement of Brahms' Piano Trio No. 1. The violin and cello luxuriate in the arching phrases, which are subsequently echoed by the piano. It's something of a departure for the composer, whose hallmark brooding retrospection is tempered during the first half of this four-movement chamber work. Originally created in 1854, the trio was significantly revised over three decades later and was eventually published in 1891, benefitting from the compositional maturity that came as Brahms enjoyed critical success. The light touch is also applied to the second movement, a bounding “Scherzo'' with a repeating string theme that could belong to Mendelssohn. But the “Adagio” flicks a switch, bringing a slow nobility that is more recognizably Brahmsian. Its haunting cello solo and filigree piano passages are overlaid with a plaintive call in the violin; the three eventually meet in a chorale-like ending that fades into darkness. This reflective tone is continued in the final movement (“Allegro”), which evokes the opening “Allegro” in the way the tune is thrown between instruments. However, the style couldn't be more different: the strings are spurred along by a racing accompaniment, heading toward a finish line that heralds desperation rather than triumph.