Ashish Xiangyi Kumar's video: Schubert: Piano Trio No 1 in Bb D 898 Trio Dali

Schubert’s Bb piano trio is often treated a lesser (if still important) cousin to the Eb, mostly because – unlike the latter, which changes moods drastically throughout – it’s a mostly sunny, good-natured work. In fact the structural wizardry on display here is pretty astonishing. In Mvt 1, for instance, the recapitulation revs itself up twice in the wrong key before it gets properly going – and even then the true recapitulation slips in almost unnoticed. There's also the way Mvt 3’s trio borrows from the melody of Mvt 2. Mvt 4, however, is where the real spectacular stuff is. It’s labelled a rondo (and you can indeed read it as having an ABCD/ABCD/+ structure, albeit with funky section lengths), but really is in a sonata form where, crazily, the development and recapitulation *overlap*. The section at 36:04 develops Theme 1, but also functions as the beginning of the recap, as the latter opens with Theme 2 and entirely leaves out Theme 1– something Chopin would also do. There’s also some brilliant motivic manipulation here, with what sounds like a brand-new developmental theme at 35:01 being comprised of two motifs already introduced earlier. (One of the motifs is also peppered through the movement as an all-purpose modulatory device.) MVT I, Allegro moderato EXPOSITION 00:00 – Theme 1, in Bb. Dotted motif (a) in piano LH. 01:10 – Transition using (a) and incorporating T1’s melody, which is developed into rising figure. 01:52 – T2 02:29 – Cadence theme/T3 (octave leap, followed by scale – loosely linked to T2). The closing bars at 3:17 develop T2’s melody (note similarities in rhythm/melodic contour). DEVELOPMENT 07:29 – T1, in Bb min. Moves through Db, Eb min, Eb, F min, then into 08:23 – Ab. T2 in cello, with T1 as accompaniment. Moves magically into E, C, and through a beautiful sequence into (what you think must the) dominant preparation at 9:07. The head of T2 is extensively deployed in the strings. Tension builds with the addition of a minor 9th & the diminution of T2 until sudden relaxation at 9:23. 09:35 – Forceful development of T2, switching between minor/major. At 9:39, melody from codetta introduced in cello. 09:52 – A moment of genius. Return to end of the codetta, with T1 in dialogue in strings. Harmony shifts momentarily to F dominant 7th, heralding recapitulation, except that we move, nonchalantly and slightly ridiculously, into 10:01 – Gb! We get an absurd “recapitulation” in this distant key, with strings having additional scalar figuration and melody diverted to drop downward at its tail. Repeats in Db. Then – with no fanfare, we slip into Bb (10:48), arriving at RECAPITULATION 10:51 – T1, hushed 11:11 – Transition 11:53 – T2 12:30 – Codetta. Moves into true coda at 13:37, developing T1. Huge climax in Ab (13:55). Transition theme closes. MVT II, Andante un poco mosso 14:33 – A section. Barcarolle. Taken by cello, violin and piano, and eventually blooms with lovely counterpoint. 19:23 – B section. Dramatic. Style Hongrois at first, turning sweeter later. 21:25 – A section, in Ab. Broken chords in piano. Melody moves through gorgeous modulations: Ab, E, C, and back to Eb via touching statement of the melody in pure octaves in the piano (22:41). MVT III, Scherzo – allegro 24:51 – Scherzo. Puckish & slightly absentminded. Lots of pretty counterpoint. 28:18 – Trio. A waltz missing its downbeats. Melody recalls Mvt 2, A section. 30:18 – Scherzo. MVT IV, Rondo – allegro vivace EXPOSITION 32:05 – T1, Eb. The long-short-short rhythmic motif (r) in the first 2 measures will become important, as will the faux-dramatic unison motif (u) at 32:41. 32:43 – T2, G min. at 32:58, orchestral texture introduced, with canon based on (u) in strings. This acts as a transition into 33:06 – T3, Ab. Bell-like, floating over deep water. 33:27 – T2, F min. 33:52 – T3, F 34:10 – (u) is extensively developed. At 34:37, (r) enters prominently in strings, at one point even turning into a rising figure that mimics exactly the opening of T1. At 34:49 we hear (u) enter twice, moving into Db. DEVELOPMENT 35:01 – An apparently new developmental theme (TD) is introduced, in 3/2 with polonaise-like rhythm and bass drone. In fact, it’s a merger of (u) and (r), with (u) now fitting within a single bar. At 35:18 the connection to (u) is made explicit in the violin. 36:04 – T1, Eb. At 36:32, (r) is developed. 37:06 – (u) chained together in the violin, modulating. Dotted rhythm in cello recalls T2. At 37:22, modified (u) in canon. RECAPITULATION 37:36 – (u), in its first form, leading into T2 38:02 – T3 38:23 – T2 38:48 – T3 39:06 – Development of (u), as in the exposition. Surprisingly, we don’t get any sense of resolution here, and it looks like we’re heading back into another development. And indeed 39:57 – TD returns, in Gb, as a kind of farewell. CODA 40:53 – A humorous sped-up version of the development of (u) we’ve already heard twice. (r) enters nearing the end.