Trio in B rlat (Op. 97), ' The Archduke Trio ' played by The New London Trio:
Leonard Hirsch (violin)
Norina Semino (viola)
John Pauer (piano)
Beethoven's Piano Trio in B flat, Op. 97, was written in 1811 and dedicated to the Archduke Rudolf of Austria. It is a melodious and beautifully balanced work in four movements. The first movement is in the usual sonata form, the second a fine scherzo, the third a set of four variations on a slow and expressive theme, and the fourth a high-spirited rondo in which the principal theme appears five times.