Trio Barclay: Beethoven's "Ghost" Trio

The trio was first performed in 1808 in Vienna, with Beethoven himself playing the piano part. The second movement (Largo), which is the most famous and distinctive of the three, features a slow and mournful melody in the violin and cello, accompanied by an eerie ghost-like piano part. It is believed that around the time this piece was written, Beethoven was discussing an opera of Shakespeare's Macbeth (the words "Macbett" appear near sketches fo...