Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 02/15/2011, uploaded on 02/19/2012

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano, op. 56, often referred to as the “Triple Concerto,” in 1804. A singular work among Beethoven’s oeuvre, it simultaneously hearkens back to the concerto grosso tradition of the Baroque period, yet later also served partially as a model for Johannes Brahms’s Double Concerto for violin and cello. Despite its prominent neighbors—works such as the Fourth Symphony, Fidelio and the Fourth Piano Concerto—the Triple Concerto is generally viewed as one of the lesser among Beethoven’s concerti, a fate that has also befallen the Second Piano Concerto. The Triple Concerto wasn’t premiered until 1808 and failed to impress its audience. Even today it is but seldom performed.

Perhaps owing to its relative lack of success is the imbalance of its solo parts. The piano part, while sounding impressive, is not particularly difficult to execute; on the other hand, the solo violin and cello parts are rather demanding. Anton Schindler, Beethoven’s friend and biographer, stated that Beethoven composed the piano part for his student, the Archduke Rudolph, who at the time was in his teens. However, this story is often chalked up to be one of Schindler’s many half-truths, as no evidence exists of the Archduke performing the piano part in the premiere. Furthermore, when the concerto was published, it bore a dedication, not to the Archduke, but to another of Beethoven’s patrons, Prince Lobkowitz.

The Triple Concerto follows all of the expected conventions throughout the course of its three movements. The first movement, an elegant sonata allegro, opens with the usual double exposition to be found in Classical concertos. While the dialogue between the instruments is often imaginative (one could expect no less from Beethoven), it nevertheless seems too strenuous for the meager material with which it’s provided. Throughout the entire movement only one instrument at a time ever takes the theme. The middle movement, however, is a beautiful Largo in A-flat major, which opens with muted strings and a lengthy cantabile melody for the cello soloist. Supported by the pianist, the two string soloists carry much of the melodic burden. The passionate lyricism of the Largo is briefly interrupted by a minor episode from the orchestra. However, the soloists soon return, and with them the major tonality. Without break, they lead into the concerto’s finale. Marked “Rondo alla Polacca,” the finale is an energetic and joyous movement. It begins rather relaxed with another lyrical solo for the cellist but quickly abounds in the exuberant energy one expects from the final movement of a concerto.      Joseph DuBose

Live recorded at Victoria Hall (Geneva-Switzerland) with Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra