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The Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 92, was composed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1892. It was premiered on 7 December 1892 at the Salle Érard in Paris, performed by Isidor Philipp, Henri Berthelier and Jules Loeb.[1]
The work is unusually cast in five movements, and takes around 35 minutes to perform.[2]
The first and last movements are considerably longer than the middle three, creating an arch-like structure.[1]
I. Allegro ma non-troppo
The first movement is a lengthy movement in sonata form. It opens with a dark and ominous theme shared between the violin and cello, accompanied by widely spaced chords in the piano. The second subject presents a new lyrical contrasting theme. After a dramatic development section, the movement ends boldly with an unexpected plagal cadence in E minor.[3]
II. Allegretto
This movement is a dance-like movement in rondo form, written in 5
8 meter, in a similar vein to the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony. It alternates delicate, salon-like music with virtuosic outbursts, ultimately ending softly.[1][2]
III. Andante con moto
The third movement is a brief but lyrical slow movement in the distant key of A♭ major. It is built around a small descending phrase first heard in the piano and then in the strings.[2]
IV. Grazioso, poco allegretto
This movement is a graceful waltz in G major. It opens with a brief dark introduction before the piano introduces the main theme, cheerful in character. Two brief trio sections provide contrast in distant keys.[1][3]
V. Allegro
The finale begins with a sinister theme in the piano in octaves, later joined by the strings. The music develops with increasing intensity before reaching a fugato with a theme first announced on the violin. The two themes are then combined and developed in a complex contrapuntal passage. The coda transforms the first theme into a moto perpetuo, which brings the work to a dramatic conclusion in the tonic minor.[2]
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