Three Beethoven works for piano trio and voice — drawn from different creative periods and reflecting both literary and folk influences of his time — form the programme of this concert. With his Op. 1 Trios, published in 1795, the young Beethoven made his “official” entrance into the world of composition in spectacular fashion, while in 1809, during the midst of his middle period, the celebrated Op. 70 Trios appeared.
In the early 19th century, the composer also wrote a number of folk-song settings for voice and piano trio, based on traditional songs from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England (with lyrics by prominent 18th-century British poets), as well as on popular and traditional melodies of the period.
The concert title, Musing on the Roaring Ocean, is taken from Beethoven’s song of the same name (itself based on a poem-song by Robert Burns) and evokes the feeling of a profound harmony between the individual and the wider world.
