Piano Trio No. 7 in B‑Flat Major

In 1809, Napoleon’s invasion of Vienna, Beethoven’s home city, forced his most influential patron, Archduke Rudolph, to flee for safety. It is said Beethoven reflected the crisis, and his delight at the archduke’s return the following year, in his piano sonata Les Adieux (The Farewells). Soon afterward, he composed this magnificent piano trio (1810-11), conceived on a symphonic scale, as a present for Rudolph. The archduke must have been a fine pianist, as the piano writing demands not only advanced technique but exceptional powers of expression and tone coloring. At the same time, it isn’t simply a showcase for a princely patron: The violin and cello are equal partners, and the relationship between the three instruments—dynamic, tender, or humorous—is one of the things that gives this trio its special richness and vitality. The first movement combines drama and lyrical expansiveness with confidence that could be described as aristocratic. A half-teasing, half-sinister “Scherzo” follows, then comes the singularly beautiful variation-form third movement, one of Beethoven’s most serene meditations, based on a hushed, hymnlike theme. The way the finale emerges from this shows Beethoven’s flair for transition at its best—we are brought from heavenly contemplation back to solid earth so deftly that it feels not just right but even delightful.