Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49

Composed in 1839 and premiered in Frankfurt on 1 February 1840, Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in D minor Op. 49 is universally considered the finest piano trio of the Romantic era outside the Beethoven trios. Robert Schumann, who had composed his own piano trios, declared it 'the master trio of our time.' The opening Molto allegro ed agitato projects an urgency and emotional intensity that prefigure Brahms; the piano writing, revised by Mendelssohn after advice from Ferdinand Hiller, achieves an orchestral richness combined with chamber transparency. The central Andante con moto is among the most beautiful slow movements in all chamber music, a gentle song over murmuring triplets. The Scherzo sparkles with the composer's characteristic fairy-tale lightness, and the finale's passionate drive brings the work to a rousing D major conclusion. The trio has remained in constant performance and remains a pinnacle of the amateur and professional chamber repertoire alike.