Trios with piano, volume 2

In classical times and for much of the 19th century, piano trios were, so to speak, very trendy items. It is therefore not surprising that after Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven also tried this genre and left a total of 13 piano trios.
This second volume contains the two piano trios op. 70, the trio op. 97 as well as the variations on the song "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu" op. 121a. As often, the nickname "Trio des esprits" of the trio op. 70 no 1 was not attributed to him by Beethoven himself, but undoubtedly stems from the particular, somewhat lugubrious sounds of the slow movement.
The trio op. 97 is said to be "of the Archduke", with reference to its dedicatee, the Archduke Rodolphe. It is certainly Beethoven's most significant piano trio, but also the longest, since it lasts more than 45 minutes. Although composed from 1810/11, it was not published until 1816.