Piano Trio after String Trio op. 3, Hess 47 [first movement and beginning of second movement] (mp3)
This arrangement of the op. 3 String Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello is apparently by Beethoven himself. Hess is only able to date the work as between 1800 and 1817. Our inclination is to give the transcription an earlier date since it seems unlikely that Beethoven would revisit such an early work as late as 1817 without performing major surgery upon it.
Only the first movement and the first 43 measures of the second movement are extant. It is unclear whether any more than this much was ever written out by Beethoven. The addition of piano gives the trio a depth that is lacking in the string version--in particular the long crescendos on pounding eighth notes have a much greater effect here than in the original. However, the piano part is rather simplistic and little is added to make it more interesting. As in the original, Beethoven humorously injects several false conclusions to unsettle the listeners.
Opus: 3
Hess: 47