The third of Beethoven’s Opus 9 String Trios is probably the most compelling of the three, employing what William Kinderman calls the “tempestuous, strife-ridden character” of Beethoven’s special key of C Minor.
The first movement Allegro opens dramatically with four descending notes, but it isn’t until the themes are accumulated that its mysterious passion is revealed. A gentle meditative Adagio is a brief respite before a vibrant Scherzo and a moody Presto finale.
#Beethoven250 Day 98
String Trio No. 5 in C Minor (Opus 9, No. 3), 1797–98
The Arnold String Trio in Troyes, France, as part of the Just Classik Festival, of which violist Manuel Vioque-Judde is artistic director.
After Opus 9, Beethoven wrote no more String Trios for the rest of his life. The medium was soon to become irrelevant to him.