Beethoven: The Six Piano Trios
Many astounding facts set Beethoven apart from other composers, but perhaps none is so unusual as his apparent inability to repeat himself. Having played a lot of Beethoven between the two of us, we still find ourselves inspired and challenged in different ways by every single movement he composed. No two are alike, as no two entire works resemble each other. Rehearsing and performing the six piano trios recorded here was indeed like coming to know six distinct individuals.
This amazing dimension of Beethoven’s creativity opened the door to this project’s conception: recording the trios with six different violinists. Considering Beethoven’s restless artistic nature, it seems unlikely that his imagination was so limited that he thought of composing them for the same set of players. The span of time – 1795, 1809, 1811 – puts them not only years apart but in different musical worlds. Even those composed back-to-back, like the Opus 1 and the Opus 70 trios, are more unlike each other than they are similar. To bring out their striking differences, it was natural for us to imagine a unique voice for each trio.
We are indeed fortunate to have recorded with these violinists. Each of them is a great instrumentalist who plays with intelligence, passion, and unwavering commitment to artistic excellence. Each performance on these recordings is world-class. Our violinists more than rose to the daunting challenge of interpreting six of the greatest pieces of chamber music ever composed, and for that, we are forever grateful. Their tireless, generous approach to this project allowed us to capture interpretations relentlessly respectful of the score. Everything Beethoven asked for can be heard here. These violinists inspired us beyond words, and we are honored to call them colleagues and blessed to call them friends.
We think that Beethoven would be very happy with this recording. It is among the finest we have ever made.
David Finckel and Wu Han
Ludwig van Beethoven
The Six Piano Trios