Piano Trio No. 2 in G Major

Beethoven’s second piano trio (in order of publication) is fascinatingly poised between two worlds: the courtly elegance of Classicism and the more exploratory world of early Romanticism. The first movement was probably written some time before publication in 1795, as it seems to typify the "older" piano trio: The piano dominates, the violin mostly echoes, the cello provides or supports the bass, and the surprises are gentle—on the whole. But the slow movement opens out a world of heartfelt lyricism in which all three instruments play a part. Then, in the rapid dancing “Scherzo” (the most obviously Beethovenian of the four movements), it’s the cello, unprecedentedly, that sets the music in motion, and it continues to play a key part throughout. The finale is more Haydnish in its fleet-footed fun and games, but the ending (are we settling to rest? No!) is pure Beethoven. In this trio, we can feel the joy of a composer finding his own voice.