This piece is among the most difficult trios that Haydn wrote. His piano trios Nos. 27-29 were dedicated to Theresa Jansen, who was the wife of the famous engraver Bartolozzi, and the skill required to execute the No. 29 is a testament to the undoubtedly high quality of Mrs. Bartolozzi. Haydn's style was always one of easygoing inventiveness and irrepressible good nature, and this work manages to ennoble these traits while offering heightened challenges to the no doubt gifted amateur and devotee. The opening Poco allegretto is sprightly and spontaneous; it sounds improvised but is clear enough to avoid the unavoidable moments of hesitation that make improvised playing bumpy sounding. This opening movement is, in fact, the crafted appearance of improvisation, and demonstrates how lightly Haydn carried his genius. The concluding Allemande (Presto assai) is unmistakably the sort of material that directly influenced Beethoven; fluid increases in speed and harmonic tension carry with them a pastoral verve and total control over the involved, approachable, and personable lyric contour. As Beethoven owed Haydn, he owed Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach; this can be detected in the sustained cantabile of the Andantino ed innocentemente middle movement, which was later arranged for voice and piano. CPE Bach was the composer who made it plain to Haydn how splendid an unadorned melody over harmony movement can be, and how far a composer could infect this simple format with lasting significance. Though the demanding technique and the musicality of the score are especially impressive, Haydn's trios never became of such seminal importance as his string quartets, simply because they never became more than piano sonatas the luxury of additional strings. However, the music remains beautiful, uncluttered, and smartly attractive in feeling. This 29th trio in E flat major has the strength of character and the diversity of content to make it a tireless piece to hear. ~ John Keillor, All Music Guide
