Beethoven’s Opus 11 is a Trio for piano, clarinet, and cello, but Beethoven also supplied an alternate violin part in place of the clarinet, which then makes it a conventional Piano Trio. It's commonly performed in both the clarinet and violin versions.
Beethoven’s Opus 11 Trio is nicknamed the “Gassenhauer” (literally “alley walker,” colloquially “street ditty”) because the third movement is a set of variations on a catchy popular tune (“Before I begin work I must have something to eat”) from an opera by Joseph Weigl.
#Beethoven250 Day 102
Piano Trio No. 4 in B♭ Major (Opus 11), 1797–98
Camerata Pacifica members José Franch-Ballester (@jcfranchb) on clarinet, Ani Aznavoorian, and Warren Jones have great fun, particularly in the closing moments.
#Beethoven250 Day 102
Piano Trio No. 4 in B♭ Major (Opus 11), 1797–98
Swiss musicians Andreas Janke on violin, Benjamin Nyffenegger on cello, and Oliver Schnyder perform in the Old Church in Boswil, Switzerland.
#Beethoven250 Day 102
Piano Trio No. 4 in B♭ Major (Opus 11), 1797–98
And then there are those who ask: “If a clarinet can play the violin part, why can’t we use an oboe instead and have a bassoon play the cello part?”
The Opus 11 Trio is one of those works that Beethoven began to distrust as it became more popular. He couldn’t have been comfortable when a reviewer praised the work by saying “This Trio flows more smoothly than some other works of its composer.”
The review cited Beethoven’s “uncommon understanding of harmony and his love of profound expression” but indicated that the composer “would give us a great deal of value if he would only write always in a more natural than far-fetched manner.” Ouch!