Music Chamber

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)  Piano Trio in C, Op 1 No 3

Allegro con brio ~ Andante cantabile con variazioni ~ Menuetto ~ Finale (Prestissimo)

 

Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770 and moved to Vienna in 1792, where he began lessons with Haydn. It is rumoured that Haydn may well have been jealous of the three early piano trios of his pupil, but the trios were extremely well-received by the public and already showed that Beethoven had many original ideas. He was almost certainly the first composer to use a four movement form for a chamber work with piano and, although modelled on contemporary works, these trios give some indication of the originality which was to set Beethoven apart. It is likely that this trio was written in 1794, and, as with the other two trios of Opus 1, it was dedicated to Prince Carl Lichnowsky, an early supporter of Beethoven. After hearing the three trios performed in the presence of the Prince, Haydn had advised Beethoven not to publish this trio as he thought it would not be understood by the public, but after Beethoven had spent some time spent revising the works, they were published in 1795 and all proved very successful in the composer’s lifetime. Many of Beethoven’s most dramatic works have been written in the key of C minor and the drama unfolds very rapidly in the first movement of this trio, with its huge contrasts in dynamics and with many harmonic innovations. Also very notable is the freedom of instrumental writing, particularly with the cello which is given a much more individual voice than had previously been the custom. The opening phrase of the exposition, played by all three instruments, provides much of the content of the development and the emphasis on the interval of a minor 3rd – C to E flat – creates a link between movements, a characteristic of so many later works. The second movement is a theme and five variations. Here again we see Beethoven moving away from the classical ideals with innovative and complex writing. The theme is introduced by the piano which dominates the first variation, with violin and cello predominating in the second. The third variation is interesting in its use of scales and fragments of melody and although the harmonic sense of the theme is maintained, the theme itself is barely recognizable. The fourth variation appears in E flat minor and the fifth, with its keyboard triplets, is followed by a short coda. The previous two trios  in Opus 1 included a scherzo rather than a minuet,  but here we have a minuet in which the second part of the minuet is based on material from the first part and the trio is in C major. A short introduction leads to the main theme of the final movement, first played by the violin then by the piano and again featuring the interval of a minor 3rd. The second theme is also introduced by the violin and these themes are developed with some sudden and unexpected modulations, with the movement ending quietly in the major key.© Christine Talbot-Cooper 2012

 

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) Piano Trio in D minor, Op 49 

Molto Allegro ed agitato ~ Andante con moto tranquillo ~ Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace ~ Allegro assai appassionato

 

The first of Mendelssohn’s two trios dates from 1839, achieving praise from Schumann and immediate popularity, since which time it has received a mixed reception from critics whilst still remaining extremely popular with performers and audiences alike! The first movement opens with a cello melody accompanied by the piano, and continued by the violin until a sudden upward arpeggio on the piano leads to a new figure featuring a dotted rhythm. The cello introduces a lyrical second subject in the key of A major and the two main themes feature extensively in the development. The recapitulation is varied and followed by an extended coda. The second movement in the key of B flat major is in ternary form with an impassioned middle section framed by lyrical song-like outer sections. Mendelssohn was a master of writing “fairy music” of which the scherzo in this trio is a fine example. The virtuosic writing for the piano needs careful control on a modern piano as the instrument for which it was written would have had a much lighter tone. As with the later trio, the final movement is a rondo with three themes, the first two of which have a dance-like character whilst the third shows similarities with one of the “Songs without Words”. Towards the close of the moment the third theme appears in the key of D major followed by an exuberant coda. © Christine Talbot-Cooper 2012

 

Wing Man Leung was born in Hong Kong and went to the Chinese University where she received the Dean List Award for outstanding results. She obtained the 4th place in the 2007 Hong Kong Piano Competition and passed with Distinction in the Trinity-Guildhall LTCL Piano Recital. She started studying at Trinity in 2008 and obtained her Master of Music (Piano Accompaniment) in 2011. Wing Man is currently pursuing a Master of Performance (Piano Accompaniment) at the Royal College of Music. 

 

Born in Portugal, Joana Ly studied at the Conservatoire of Music in Aveiro. In 2007 she was awarded a place at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon. She has been a member of several orchestras including Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Momentum Perpetuum (The National Youth Orchestra of Portugal), Orquestra Académica Metropolitana and Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa. In 2010 she began at the Royal College of Music which loaned her a Vuillaume violin and her studies are supported by the Henry Wood Trust.

 

Feargus Egan is an RCM scholar supported by The Bliss and Craxton Memorial Trusts, the Thomas Caird Trust and the Cross Trust. In 2011 he graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he played in the Csengele string quartet winning the Mable Glover competition in 2010. That year he played with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera after winning a place on their apprenticeship scheme, and toured with the Scottish Ensemble. Feargus has also performed on baroque cello with the Dunedin Consort and as principal cello of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. He is also principal cello in Camerata Scotland, the NYOS chamber orchestra performing with their contemporary music ensemble.