Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major

Johannes Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8, was completed in January 1854 when the composer was only twenty years old. It was published in November of that same year and premiered on October 13, 1855, in Danzig, contrary to the widespread belief that its first performance occurred in the United States. In the summer of 1889, Brahms undertook significant revisions of the trio, making such considerable alterations that the revised version is often regarded as almost a separate work. This “New Edition” (Neue Ausgabe), as Brahms referred to it, premiered on January 10, 1890, in Budapest and was published in February 1891.

In this revised version, the first movement was shortened to approximately half its original length, while the second and third movements were reduced by one-third. Brahms completely replaced the original second themes in both the first and last movements. He also removed a lengthy fugue from the first movement, deleted an Allegro middle section in the Adagio, and omitted references to Beethoven and Schubert’s songs in the Finale.

Scored for piano, violin, and cello, this is the only work by Brahms to exist in two published versions, although the revised version heard in this recording is almost exclusively performed today. The piece is homotonal, with two movements in B major and two in B minor. It is one of the few multi-movement compositions to start in a major key and conclude in the tonic minor, another example being Felix Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony.