- Born May 7, 1833, in Hamburg
- Died April 3, 1897, in Vienna
- Composed in 1891
- Duration: 25 minutes

In 1890, having resolved to stop composing following a period of creative stagnation, Brahms wrote to his publisher Simrock, “You can bid farewell to my music—since it is finally time to quit.” This retirement did not last, thanks to a visit to the German town of Meinigen several months later, in the spring of 1891. Invited to stay at the court by the Duke, Brahms immersed himself in rehearsals and performances of the court orchestra. There, he discovered the playing of principal clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, who had in fact joined the orchestra as a violinist before teaching himself to play the clarinet. 

Captivated by the autodidact’s sound, Brahms wrote letters singing his praises, including one to Clara Schumann, and spent extensive time with him studying the intricacies of the instrument. That summer, during his holiday at Bad Ischl, Brahms composed the A-minor trio on today’s program, the first of four pieces he would write featuring the clarinet over the next three years.

The Allegro establishes its tonal center with the first theme’s arpeggio opening, carried by the cello. The ascending gesture recurs across all instruments, its sweeping authority countered by a furtive triplet gesture that first appears in the piano. The movement’s second theme, also introduced by the cello, inverts the opening arpeggio of the first theme. The development is marked by rapid scales and hurried fragmentation of earlier thematic material. Similar scalar gestures, though articulated more softly, bring the Allegro to a close—a demure, major-mode ending to a brooding and intense movement. 

The Adagio’s measured pace allows one to savor the full range of the clarinet, both in terms of pitch and expressive function; the instrument is as adept in higher-register, foregrounded melodic lines as it is in lower-register, hushed accompaniment sections. The cello retains an important role in the movement, its lines deftly interwoven with the clarinet’s. 

A charming waltz follows in the Andantino grazioso. The dance’s infectious triple-meter lilt and graceful melody offer a welcome respite from the seriousness of the preceding movements. Some early critics found the movement banal; on the contrary, it showcases the enchanting and delicate qualities of Brahms’s finest waltzes and intermezzi.

The dramatic finale recalls the arpeggios of the first movement and again gives the task of introducing key themes to the cello. As taken as Brahms was with the sound of Mühlfeld’s clarinet, this trio could easily have become a quasi-solo for clarinet with cello and piano accompaniment. Rather, it is as layered and interconnected as any of his chamber works, and allows the listener to contemplate a rarely heard combination of timbres. 

Program notes © Jack Slavin