In Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, a piano trio provides the soloists – a first in the history of music. Beethoven’s treatment of the trio is pioneering: he does not apply a typical piano trio setting in contrast to the orchestra, but varies his treatment of the solo parts, allowing each instrument to play alone with the orchestra (particularly the cello), using two solo instruments together in ever new combinations, and finally bringing together all three instruments with the orchestra.

Beethov...