After brilliant experiments by Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the piano trio matured into a full-fledged genre only in the hands of Ludwig van Beethoven. The Piano Trio in e-flat, opus 70, nr 2 from 1808 still shows traces of the old masters, but sounds undeniably more modern. The violin and the cello are much more prominent and the finale betrays Beethoven’s impetuous temperament. Robert Schumann wrote the Piano Trio nr 1 in 1847, his productive year for chamber music. It was his birthday gift to his wife Clara, who noted in her diary: ‘It sounds like the work of someone with high expectations, so youthful and powerful and concurrently completed with such mastery. The opening is among the very few finest that I know.’ Such passionate scores demand passionate performers: Andreas Staier, Daniel Sepec and Roel Dieltiens are their perfect match. This is going to be auditive spoiling!

Performers
Daniel Sepec, violin | Roel Dieltiens, violoncello | Andreas Staier, fortepiano