"Out-of-body" Beethoven, part 2: Is one of these three string-trio slow movements even more special than the other two?

BEETHOVEN: String Trio in G, Op. 9, No. 1:
ii. Adagio ma non tanto e cantabile (key: E major)

Itzhak Perlman, violin; Pinchas Zukerman, viola; Lynn Harrell, cello. EMI, recorded live at the 92nd Street Y, New York City, June 6-7, 1990

BEETHOVEN: String Trio in D, Op. 9, No. 2:
ii. Andante quasi allegretto (key: D minor)

Itzhak Perlman, violin; Pinchas Zukerman, viola; Lynn Harrell, cello

BEETHOVEN: String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3:
ii. Adagio con espressione (key: C major)

Itzhak Perlman, violin; Pinchas Zukerman, viola; Lynn Harrell, cello

"[These three] extraordinary slow movements in the key of E major [from the Piano Trio in G, Op. 1, No. 2; the String Trio in G, Op. 9, No. 1; and the String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2] . . . share an almost out-of-body quality, and it’s inspiring to wonder what this beautiful tonality must have meant to Beethoven."

-- David Finckel, in "Making the most out of chamber music coaching," from The Strad newsletter, Jan. 21, 2025

by Ken

The David Finckel quote, of course, is a pickup from last week's first installment of "'Out-of-body' Beethoven?," wherein we took advantage of this linkage of three Beethoven slow movements in E major, offered as an example of the kind of musical context he can offer to students as part of one of his most enjoyed yet enormously complex activities: coaching chamber music. I thought it would be fun as well as instructive to listen to David F.'s three E major slow movements -- along with two stringless ones I added, from the Op. 90 and Op. 109 Piano Sonatas.

For me there was no question that David F.'s trio of slow movements have something special in common. One thing I wanted to do was listen to what assorted performers have heard in them, to get some idea of how we might think about that special "E major quality." I also wanted to hear those movements in the context of the works they're part of, to get a sense of the kinds of use Beethoven made of that special quality (or qualities). And we're still going to attempt to do both of those things.

I'm still plugging away at that next step. Meanwhile I thought it would be interesting just to set one of those E major movements against alongside some comparable slow movements, which is what we've done above. The G major Trio, Op. 9, No. 1, is part of a set of three, and above we've heard the same performers play the slow movements of all three.

I suspect that for many of us, even the most confirmed Beethoven-philes, the string trios don't figure prominently in our listening. I'm always reminded when I have occasion to return to them (the three trios of Op. 9 were preceded by a six-movement Trio in E-flat, Op. 3, and the five-movement Serenade in D, Op. 8), I'm reminded that they're not only potentially more entertaining but more substantial than I remembered. It's generally pointed out that the trios were in some sense a preparation for the creative force that Beethoven would unleash in the Op. 18 set of six string quartets. Already I think it's fair to say that the three slow movements of Op. 9 are pretty gorgeous.

If the Adagio ma non tanto e cantabile of Op. 9, No. 1 were in E minor, it would be in the parallel minor key of the first movement's G major, but it's not in E minor, it's in E major. (We have this same relationship in the Op. 1, No. 2 Piano Trio.) In the remaining trios the slow movement is in the parallel minor or major of the first. The nervous tension of the D minor of Op. 9, No. 2 is a striking contrast to the D major of the first movement, while the C major of the harmonically ambiguous Adagio con espressione of Op. 9, No. 3 is about as un-C-majory a C major as I can think of.


AS A REMINDER, HERE ARE THE PERFORMANCES WE HEARD OF THE OP. 9, NO. 1 "ADAGIO MA NON TANTO E CANTABILE"


Jascha Heifetz, violin; William Primrose, viola; Gregor Piatigorsky, cello. RCA, recorded in Radio Recorders Studios, Hollywood, Mar. 27, 1957 (mono)

Trio à cordes français (Gérard Jarry, violin; Serge Collot, viola; Michel Tournus, cello). EMI France, recorded 1970

Last week I trusted that readers who listened to both performances -- one exceptionally quick, the other exceptionally gradual -- might wonder if they were hearing the same piece. Myself, not having heard the Trio à cordes français performance in quite a while (if ever!), I was surprised to just plain fall in love with it, for its unhurried richness and depth. I assumed that the performances by string superstars Heifetz, Primrose, and Piatigorsky (who eventually recorded all of the Beethoven string trios) would sound sleekly superficial by comparison. But no, I loved it too! Heifetz in particular, never known as a musical dawdler, had an uncanny ability -- no doubt owing in part to his extraordinary technical command of his instrument -- to express a full range of musical substance while in swift musical motion.

As long as we're listening, why don't we hear the entire trio? You'll note that the basic structure is the four-movement one that Beethoven's great predecessors Haydn and Mozart: an opening movement in what we've come to know as "sonata allegro" form, in this case with a haunting slow introduction (again, something both Haydn and Mozart loved to do; a beautiful slow movement; a scherzo already replacing the older minuet; and a jaunty finale. If you'd like more guidance, Wikipedia has a small but useful article.

BEETHOVEN: String Trio in G, Op. 9, No. 1:
i. Adagio -- Allegro con brio
ii. Adagio, ma non tanto, e cantabile
iii. Scherzo: Allegro
iv. Finale: Presto


[ii. at 6:58; iii. at 12:51; iv. at 15:18] Jascha Heifetz, violin; William Primrose, viola; Gregor Piatigorsky, cello. RCA, recorded in Radio Recorders Studios, Hollywood, Mar. 27, 1957 (mono)

[ii. at 9:04; iii. at 19:50; iv. at 22:49] Trio à cordes français (Gérard Jarry, violin; Serge Collot, viola; Michel Tournus, cello). EMI France, recorded 1970


SURPRISE! THERE IS A HAPPY MIDDLE GROUND!

Let's listen first to what three top pros of almost bewilderingly diverse backgrounds, but consummate professionals and colleagues, do with our Adagio ma non tanto e cantabile:


Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; Bruno Giuranna, viola; Mstislav Rostropovich, cello. DG, recorded in Paris, January 1988

Now here's the whole quartet:


[ii. at 9:58; iii. at 17:17; iv. at 20:22] Performers and credits as above


NEXT UP, IN PART 3: WE STILL HAVE A PIANO TRIO, A
STRING QUARTET, AND TWO PIANO SONATAS TO PONDER

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