Trio Khaldei likes to extend the boundaries of the trio set-up and brings together in this program pieces for violin and cello, violin and piano, cello and piano and one of Beethoven's most popular piano trios: the Geister Trio. This program gives a wide picture of the evolution in Beethoven's composition style, from classic to revolutionary romantic.

Beethoven originally composed his Duo in C for clarinet and bassoon ; we play the arrangement for violin and cello by F. Hermann. It is not known when Beethoven wrote this work, but it’s clearly an early work in which the influence of Haydn and Mozart is still easily audible.

The Sonata for violin and piano Op. 24a was given the nickname "Springsonata" (Frühlingssonate) after the death of the composer, because of the elegance and joy of life that transpire from it. Once more, Mozart is not far away, but Beethoven experiments with the form: this is the first sonata in four movements instead of the usual three.

The third Cello Sonata and the Geister Trio - both composed in 1808 - are clearly from a mature composer who has found his own voice. Beethoven looked for a long time for the right balance between cello and piano, and in the manuscript we can literally see Beethoven trying to find the ideal distribution of the melodic material between both instruments.

The Geister trio owes its name to Beethoven's pupil Carl Czerny, who wrote that the slow movement reminded him of the ghost scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. About the trio, E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote : "this music proves that Beethoven’s music has a romantic soul, that resonates in a highly personal, thoughtful and brilliant way."

It’s a centuries-old practice to arrange great orchestral works for smaller formations. In the past, composers did the arrangements themselves, often out of necessity; before the invention of the gramophone, it was the only way to bring these masterpieces into smaller venues. It remained a common practice even after the invention of the recording. The arrangements invariably cast another light on orchestral pieces that were thought to be known inside out, and they allow this music to be played everywhere. The most famous musics are recognisable by their essence, intensity, colour and intimacy.

Robert Schumann wrote the Drei Fantasiestücke for cello and piano in two days, in February 1849. Originally intended for clarinet and piano, the composer indicated that they could also be performed with viola or cello

Clara’s Piano Trio, composed three years before, is generally considered as one of her finest works. At the time, Robert and Clara were intensively studying Bach's music, inspiring Clara to develop a particular sense of counterpoint in this Trio.

Clara Schumann composed the Three Romances for violin and piano in 1853, and dedicated them to the legendary violinist Josef Joachim. She also performed an extensive tour with him during which she regularly performed her own compositions. A critic wrote about this piece in the Times: "Luxurious and poignant, to hear them we regret that Clara's composition career is subordinated to that of her husband."

Robert wrote his first Piano Trio in 1847, inspired by the one Clara had composed a year earlier. This trio announces a big change in Robert’s composition style, becoming more intellectual, more architectural. He wrote about this : "Before, I was composing almost all my short works in a wave of inspiration. From the year 1845, when for the first time I first elaborated everything mentally, I developed a new style of composition”. A new style that remains very intuitively expressive, traditional in form, but at the same time shows a great inventiveness in the way he eludes the "problems" associated with classical forms.