This being the year of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, NZTrio have brought us his music in the form of an early Piano Trio.
And you could say this was Beethoven exploring his own cultural heritage as well...or maybe combatting it is more accurate. He was 24, and had been studying in Vienna with Franz Joseph Haydn for a couple of years. Beethoven was a well-known piano virtuoso, but the very first works he ever published were a set of piano trios...his Opus 1.
Haydn was worried the public wouldn’t like Beethoven’s blatant disregard for tradition, and he suggested Beethoven withdraw the works. This unfortunately soured their relationship for a while.
Fortunately Haydn happened to be wrong, because all three trios in Beethoven’s Opus 1 were instantly taken up by amateurs and professionals alike.
Recorded at St Andrew's on The Terrace Wellington by RNZ Concert
Producer/sound engineer: David Houston
