Emanuel Ax, piano; Leonidas Kavakos, violin; Yo-Yo Ma, cello. March 6, 2020.

Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.  Balcony (Seat F120, $0).

Program – All-Beethoven

Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2 (1796).

Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30, No. 1 (1801-1802).

Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 730, No. 2 (1808).

We again got tickets from our friend, who bought them for $101 each.

Tonight’s program was a lot more satisfying than the one prior.  The pieces all seemed a bit more complex, and with the good interplay among the musicians, a lot more enjoyable.  As I listened to the pieces, I thought I had something to say.  Typing this a day later, however, I have forgotten those points.

The movements of the cello sonata are: Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo – Allegro molto piu tosto presto; and Rondo: Allegro.  For the violin sonata: Allegro; Adagio molto espressivo; and Allegretto con variazioni.  For the trio: Poco sostenuto – Allegro ma non troppo; Allegretto; Allegretto ma non troppo; and Finale: Allegro.

For encore the trio played Brahms.  The remarkable aspect of this slow movement was that the violin often played in its low registers while the cello did high notes.  It made for an interesting effect.

It was refreshing; which made me wonder if one could get too much of Beethoven.  I vaguely recall sitting through most (if not all) of Beethoven's symphonies during one of these festivals, and it was okay.  We shall see as this year of his 250^th birthday progresses.

It was raining most of the day, so made for a somewhat miserable night out.  I was surprised how easy it was again to find parking.  Dinner was at a pizza joint on 8^th Ave.