Piano Trio No. 2 (Brahms)

The Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87, by Johannes Brahms was composed between 1880 and 1882. It is scored for piano, violin and cello.

Piano Trio in C major
No. 2
by Johannes Brahms
The composer in 1880
Key	C major
Catalogue	Op. 87
Composed	1880–1882
Performed	29 December 1882: Frankfurt
Movements	Four

In early 1880 Brahms began work on two new piano trios, one in C major, the other in E♭ major. By June he had completed an Allegro movement for each of them, and showed these to Clara Schumann who offered a preference for the E♭ major piece.[1] However, the two trio movements were set aside while Brahms worked on his second piano concerto and third symphony, and by the time he picked up the trios again two years later, the self-critical Brahms had decided to destroy the E♭ major Allegro and concentrate on the C major trio, completing the remaining three movements in the summer of 1882 while on vacation in the spa town of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria.[2]

The Trio was first performed at a chamber music evening in Frankfurt-on-Main on 29 December 1882 with Brahms' first String Quintet (F major, Op. 88). Both the Trio and String Quintet were published that same month by the firm of Fritz Simrock.

The trio is in four movements:

1. Allegro moderato, C major, sonata form
2. Andante con moto, A minor, theme and variations
3. Scherzo: Presto, C minor (with Picardy third), scherzo and trio
4. Finale: Allegro giocoso, C major, sonata form

A typical performance lasts roughly 27 to 30 minutes.

References

1. Misha Donat, liner notes to Hyperion recording, CDA67251/2, 1998.
2. James M. Keller, "Chamber Music: A Listener’s Guide", Oxford University Press, 2011.

External links

• Piano Trio No. 2: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project