Music Chamber

The two Trios Elegiaques of Rachmaninov are inextricably linked with Tchaikovsky. This first one (1892) is a student work, written before he graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire. Tchaikovsky had already predicted a brilliant future for Rachmaninov some three years earlier when he awarded the young composer maximum marks for his harmony exam. For his part Rachmaninov venerated the older composer and the G minor Trio Elegiaque can be seen as a homage to Tchaikovsky. The opening theme is an inversion of the famous four note motif from Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto and the funeral march that concludes the work recalls the great master’s A minor trio. Moreover, Tchaikovsky was in good health when Rachmaninov wrote his first elegaic trio so it is fanciful to see the work as a premonition of Tchaikovsky’s death just two years later. 

 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Trio No 4 in B flat major, Op 11

Allegro con brio ~ Adagio

 

Between the Opus 1 piano trios and the three masterpieces of his maturity, Beethoven wrote this charming trio originally scored for clarinet, cello and piano but also published, with little modification, in a transcription for the typical ensemble featuring the violin as the treble instrument. The trio is an early work, composed in 1798 just before Beethoven turned his attention to his first set of string quartets. Many have pointed out that the Op 11 piano trio is atypical of Beethoven. Accurate descriptions employ adjectives that one does not necessarily associate with the most familiar of his music: gentle, lyrical, playful, even, “light”. The reactions of his contemporaries range from describing the work as “easy” and “more melodious” to “difficult” and “unnaturally composed”. Most now share the opinion that it is wonderful music, especially when it is allowed to speak for itself.

 

John Psathas Three Island Songs 

 

The New Zealand composer has this to say about these pieces: ‘Island Songs were each inspired by certain styles of Greek dance music. They are not so much simulations of these styles as they are my own reaction to them, and what I have responded to mostly is the unique energy of each of the dance type. The first piece involves a number of styles and reflects what I perceive as the latent energy of much of the music – although here it only surfaces from time to time. The second is a reaction to the great strength of the zeibekiko dance, which is in 9/4 time, and often extremely slow. While not cast in the same time frame as a true zeibekiko, this movement does dwell upon the uncertainty of the downbeat and the intensely focused emotional content of this dance. The third piece is much in the style of the Sirto dance, whose energy is always lively and unfailingly contagious.’

 

Moana Trio was formed in January 2011 after a long search to find the “right” people for each other. All three currently studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the culturally diverse trio shares a passion for collaborative music making through a strong teamwork. Moana Trio has worked with Belcea Quartet, Gordon Back, Laura Roberts and Martin Roscoe, and was recently highly received by Nils Franke at a Piano Trio Day by the Piano Trio Society. The word ‘Moana’ means ‘ocean’ in Maori.