Trios, Op. 70 - Violin, Cello, and Piano

Ludwig van Beethoven’s two piano trios op. 70 were written during the composer’s visit to his patron Marie von Erdödy. Published in 1809, they are now among Beethoven’s most famous works of this genre, especially the “Ghost Trio” op. 70 No. 1, the name of which has an unclear meaning and possibly refers to the character of the second movement.

For this new Urtext edition, a further relevant source was at editor Jonathan Del Mar’s disposal for the first time, namely a set of parts made for Archduke Rudolf with corrections by Beethoven. By meticulously evaluating all the sources, discrepancies in previous editions were resolved and thus the third movement of Trio No. 2 is reproduced in its original five-part structure.