Beethoven: Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3

Description

The Three Trios, Op. 1 were composed around 1794/1795. Apparently, Beethoven deliberately chose the opus number 1 for these piano trios, since they were to become the first of his "larger musical works". The pieces are dedicated to Karl Prince von Lichnowsky, an important patron of Beethoven in Vienna, who also maintained contact with Mozart and Haydn. Haydn was present at the premiere and praised the pieces; however, he did not trust the audience to understand these progressive trios – which turned out to be wrong, for the trios were positively received by the listeners.