Konzert für Klavier, Violine und Violoncello c-Dur op. 56 - 7. Teil

Beethoven probably completed what became known as the “Triple Concerto,” a cross between a piano trio and a solo concerto, in the early summer of 1804, just after he moved into his apartment in the “Red House” (which has since been demolished). The concerto was first performed privately in June 1804, in a recital that was more like a rehearsal than a concert performance. The piece was dedicated to Prince Franz Joseph Lobkowitz, and this first rehearsal-cum-performance took place in his palace. This recording features part of the final movement. The dance-like “Rondo alla Polacca,” which stands out for its intricate transitions between the repeating refrain and the varied couplets, also highlights the special role assigned to the cello, which tends to guide the other solo instruments for most of the work.

This recording by the Vienna Philharmonic in 1937 features a number of performers who fled into exile around the time the recording was made. It is conducted by Felix Weingartner (1863–1942), who was the orchestra’s permanent subscription conductor between 1908 and 1927, and emigrated to Switzerland in 1936. The violinist Ricardo Odnoposoff (1914–2004), who was concertmaster of the Philharmonic from 1935 to 1938, emigrated to Argentina the following year, before settling in the United States. He was followed to the US by the cellist Stefan Auber, who had previously been the soloist with the Königsberg Radio Orchestra. Of the soloists on the recording, only pianist Angelica Morales (1911–1996), who was married to fellow pianist Emil von Sauer, remained in Vienna.
(Constanze Köhn)