Piano Trio No. 1 (Brahms)

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Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8, by Johannes Brahms

The trio was written by Brahms and completed in January 1854, when he was 20. It was published in 1854 and premiered on 13 October 1855 in Danzig (now Gdańsk). There is a common misbelief that its first performance happened in the United States.

In 1889 Brahms prepared a revised edition, often called the New Edition. The changes are modest, but today the revised version is the one most often performed. The New Edition premiered on 10 January 1890 in Budapest and was published in February 1891.

The trio is scored for piano, violin and cello. It exists in two published versions, though the revised edition is the version usually heard today. It is homotonal, with two movements in B major and two in B minor, and it is notable for beginning in a major key and ending in the tonic minor.

Performance time: about 42 minutes for the original version and about 33 minutes for the revised version.

Movements (very brief):

- Movement 1 (B major): A broad, dramatic first movement in sonata form. In the revision, Brahms kept most of the opening material with only small changes.

- Movement 2 (B minor, scherzo; trio in B major): A lively, quick movement with a contrasting middle section.

- Movement 3 (B major): A lyrical, calm movement that contrasts with the scherzo.

- Movement 4 (B minor): A powerful finale in a turbulent, energetic style, ending in B minor. The revision includes some changes to the cello’s theme and to the coda.