Dedicated to his friend and pupil Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven’s expansive Archduke Trio is his greatest work in the genre, though increasing deafness meant it also signalled his final appearances as a performer.

The cheerful Piano Trio in E flat major is an earlier work, though only discovered amongst the composer’s papers after his death, and the Kakadu Variations is another good humoured work based on a popular song of the day.

With the American Record Guide “impressed with every recording”, Volumes 1 to 4 are also available.

The Xyrion Trio’s cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Trios and other chamber works has already established a firm following and wide critical acclaim, with volume 3 described as "every bit as exceptional as the first volume" by American Record Guide, and volume 4 as "an unqualified success" (Fanfare).

This volume forms a climax for the whole series, including as it does Beethoven’s masterpiece of the genre, the Archduke Trio.

Xyrion Trio:
- Nina Tichman, piano
- Ida Bieler, violin
- Maria Kliegel, cello