Brahmns piano trio

[sof]

Believe there're three piano trios by Brahms, and one posthumus. I'm currently looking at all three piano trios and am having troubles deciding on one - Brahms just had to make them all so beautiful and make my decision so hard!

So, I'd appreciate it if anyone could provide some recommendations from personal experience playing any of these trios, or listening to them, or on the backgorund of these trios - because I don't know much about Brahms piano trios.

Thank you!

[cmg]

There are five, actually:  3 for the standard combo and one each for violin, horn piano; and clarinet, cello, piano.  A spurious one in A Major popped up in the 1920s, I think, but has never been authenticated.

The three standand ones are B Major, Op. 8, C Major, Op. 87 and C minor, Op. 101.  They span Brahms' entire career.  I've only played B Major and it is a joy to study and a terror to perform.  No Brahms is "easy" and the trios are a real test in every way imaginable.  I hope you're up to the challenge.  You can't take them lightly.  Really, they are virtuoso works.

[sof]

Yeah, when I said piano trios I meant for the standard combo. =P

Thanks for the reply. I'm very in love with the B major actually, and I'm leaning towards this one among all three.

[pianowolfi]

I love the B major and the Horn trio I think they are both maximum fun to perform, I haven't played all movements yet though.

[cmg]

I love the B major and the Horn trio I think they are both maximum fun to perform, I haven't played all movements yet though.

Yeah, well they're fun for YOU to perform, wolfi, because you are a virtuoso.  I'm a semi-virtuoso, so they scare me. 

[pianowolfi]

Yeah, well they're fun for YOU to perform, wolfi, because you are a virtuoso.  I'm a semi-virtuoso, so they scare me. 

You are nice well I wouldn't call myself semi-virtuoso even, at the time, you know, because I am very much in a struggle with the "interpreter" in me. But the question if something scares one or not is pretty interesting to me. For instance, when I think of these Brahms trios, well, 2 years ago I probably would as well have said that they scare me. But now I am very much trying to be on a path that takes the fear away and lets me more and more just think of the beautiful music. And I remember that I once played one of the movements of the horn trio privately and I was just in awe and moved and that is all I want to think of right now. It can open a lot of possibilities to just abandon fear.

[fnork]

Funny you started this thread now - I'm playing the B major trio op 8 at the moment! My trio will do it in concert around november, and next week we are doing the first two movements in a smaller concert. I love how Brahms rewrote the first movement, it makes it sound like both the young and the old brahms at the same time somehow. It's quite a challenge to play for all instruments - brahms writing wasn't very comfortable on the violin or the cello either.. - but if you take your time to learn it and have talented musicians to play with, it will be a great experience. I'm finding the first movement to be really difficult musically too though - we're often in disagreement on how things should be played in my trio. but good luck with it if you decide to play it! The third movement is one of the best slow movements Brahms wrote, I think...