Beethoven began work on the first of his two op. 70 piano trios early in 1808 and both were completed later that remarkable year, during which he also composed the A major Cello Sonata, the Fifth and Sixth symphonies, the Mass in C major and the Choral Fantasia. The trios were published in 1809, and appeared separately, the first in June and the second in August. In a letter to Breitkopf & Härtel, Beethoven remarked that his reason for writing them was that ‘such trios are now rather scarce’, but he seems to have made a conscious decision in those rich post Eroica and Fidelio years to revisit the principal genres of his earlier chamber music – violin sonatas, cello sonatas, piano trios and string quartets, though not string trios or wind chamber music.

The D major Piano Trio, op. 70 no. 1, familiarly known as the Ghost, is a foray, rare for Beethoven, into a violent and at times supernatural world. By contrast, the Piano Trio in E flat major, op. 70 no. 2, is a celebration of the wholesome, natural world which he loved so much. It may or may not be significant, but it is certainly intriguing to know that the sketchbook dated February to September 1808, which was used by Beethoven when working on the two trios, reflects these contrasts: on the one hand, it contains preliminary ideas for a chorus of witches for the opening scene of a projected opera based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, and on the other, extensive sketches for the Pastoral Symphony.

Anna Maria, Countess Erdödy

Beethoven dedicated the two trios to Anna Maria, Countess Erdödy (1778–1827), who had become one of his keenest supporters and dearest friends. He wrote detailed fingerings for her in the piano part of each trio and insisted that they should be included when the trios were published. The first performance of the Ghost Trio, given by Schuppanzigh, Linke and Beethoven himself, took place on 5 December 1808, and both trios were played six days later to an invited audience in the Countess's apartment, where Beethoven had rooms at the time. Among her guests was the composer and diarist Johann Reichardt, who was enthralled by the new trios and by the ‘great bravura and resolution’ of Beethoven's playing, in spite of his increasing deafness.