Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Emanuel Ax (piano)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 5 in D major, Op. 70 No. 1 'The Ghost'
Beethoven: Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 11 "Gassenhauer"

The programme for the fourth instalment of the Grammy-nominated series ‘Beethoven for Three’ features global star Yo-Yo Ma (who celebrated his 70th birthday in October 2025), his long-time piano partner Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos performing the First Symphony – once again arranged for piano trio. This is complemented by the popular, yet eerily stirring ‘Ghost’ Trio, Op. 70 No. 1, and the extremely catchy, so-called ‘Gassenhauer’ Trio (originally intended for clarinet, piano and cello), Op. 11, will also be featured, and the album is thus likely to offer, as Rondo magazine put it, ‘a listening experience of the finest kind’.

"Unlike some 'superstar' ensembles which find personalities fighting for the spotlight, there's a unanimity of purpose here that always puts the music first. That translates into real delight in Beethoven's continual invention...Smiles all round." - BBC Music Magazine, December 2025