PIANO TRIO IN B-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 97 (ARCHDUKE)

Ludwig van Beethoven
(b. Bonn, Germany, December 15 or 16, 1770; d. Vienna, Austria, March 26, 1827)

Composed 1810-11; 41 minutes

The Archduke marks the peak of Beethoven’s writing for piano trio. It is virtuoso music written for virtuoso musicians. In the previous two decades he had been known to view the medium of the piano trio – three instruments that were among the most widely taught – as a potential cash crop, when it suited him. That’s why we have pieces like the Kakadu Variations and the piano trio arrangements of the Septet and even of the Second Symphony – all either made by Beethoven himself, or sanctioned by him. The market amongst amateur musicians was considerable and Beethoven knew it. Still, his first three published trios, his Op. 1, would have given pause for thought amongst amateurs used to reading through music at sight. His next trios, the two of Op. 70, of which the first, the Ghost, is the better known, make no concession to anything less than professional ability. Then, in the four movements of the Archduke, Beethoven writes a monumental piece, some 40 minutes in length, which crowns his work in the medium. In it, the traditionally intimate medium of the piano trio bursts at the seams and strives for a concerto-like scale. 

From the beginning, Beethoven rethinks the sonority of the medium. The piano writing is thicker, the chords more resonant. The cello carries more of the melodies. The overall sonority is richer. The music looks back towards such expansive, lyrical works of Beethoven’s maturity as the Fourth Piano Concerto, while anticipating some of the key developments in his later works. Although the scale of the opening movement is vast and the tone is elevated, we do not encounter Beethoven at his most rhetorical when he first presents his themes. The spacious opening is marked dolce (sweetly); the movement expresses emotions that can only come through maturity and through having undergone deep personal experiences. 

As in the Hammerklavier Sonata, Beethoven reverses the middle two movements. The scherzo is full of dry wit and its idiom recalls Beethoven’s First Razumovsky quartet. Its many repetitions, shimmering piano writing and darkly mysterious moments also include the loveliest of Viennese waltzes. The ethereal slow movement is one of Beethoven’s most majestic statements. It contains a noble theme with five variations, and, as in the late string quartets, it forms the emotional heart of the piece. Its profundities are brusquely interrupted by the rustic tones of the finale, a driving movement which has its feet planted firmly on the ground. The abrupt switch of mood mirrors Beethoven’s improvisations on the piano – just when his audience would become caught up in the music, the mood would be shattered when Beethoven would suddenly slam his fist on the keys and burst into laughter. The exuberant music of the finale — broad and expansive like the rest of the work — brings a decisive conclusion.

The Archduke of the title was Rudolph, Archduke of Austria (1788-1831). He was the youngest son of Emperor Leopold II and brother of Emperor Franz. A loyal supporter of the composer, Rudolph was an accomplished pianist and had studied both piano and composition with Beethoven (he was Beethoven’s only composition pupil). Rudolph was already a leading patron when, in 1809, he joined the Princes Kinsky and Lobkowitz in providing Beethoven with an annuity of 4,000 florins to ensure the composer remained a citizen of Vienna.

Beethoven dedicated an impressive number of works to Rudolph – more than to anyone else – including the Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos, three piano sonatas (Les Adieux, the Hammerklavier and Op. 111), the G major Violin Sonata, Op. 96, the ’Grosse Fuge’ and the great trio that the Archduke himself nicknamed Archduke. Beethoven also wrote and dedicated the Missa Solemnis to Rudolph for his enthronement as Archbishop and Cardinal of Olmütz in March 1820.