Going through Ludwig van Beethoven's chamber music catalog is an interesting way of understanding the impulses and impasses of a creative path in which the most imposing and late compositions usually stand out. In this program we have the opportunity to learn about three compositions that date back to the period when the musician was around thirty years old. It therefore coincides with the end of Beethoven's "first creative period", during which a unique writing style emerged, based on Haydn and Mozart, but transcending all expectations. It's worth remembering that it was around the same time that the premiere of Symphony No. 1 took place, in April 1800, and that more than seven years had passed since the musician had settled in Vienna.
The Metropolitan Soloists begin by performing the Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 4. These three movements demonstrate that avant-garde flair, with short, incisive musical ideas, dynamic contrasts and unpredictable phrases that go against the grain of sweet and sour preferences. The Cello Sonata No. 1 had been composed four years earlier, in 1796, curiously in Berlin, during a tour. It was therefore dedicated to Frederick William II, shortly before he became King of Prussia. Curiously, this work is limited to two movements: a solemn introduction, in the manner of Haydn's symphonies, and the good humor of a Rondo full of character. Finally, the violin, cello and piano come together in a trio whose score allows for the possibility of replacing the violin with the clarinet. Its last movement consists of a series of variations on a melody that was then very popular in Vienna and came from Joseph Weigl's opera L'amor marinaro. This explains why this trio is also known as Gassenhauer ("folk song" in German). And, scene, it's an aria sung at breakfast by a music teacher with an insatiable appetite.
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