Music Chamber

Frank Bridge (1879-1941) Phantasie Trio in C Minor H. 79

 

For some reason, English composer Frank Bridge remains nearly unknown even to those who love the music of his contemporaries, Holst and Vaughan Williams, and his most famous student, Benjamin Britten. Part of it could be that Bridge's style evolved so radically from pompous irony to pastoral fantasy to abstract expressionism. Part of it could be that Bridge's technique advanced so quickly from tonal to chromatic to all but serial. And part of it could be the simple reason that most of the music is too elusive to be memorable with the lack of a hummable tune. Composed in 1907, when Bridge was around 28 years old, this single movement work has a passionate intensity.

 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Trio No 2 in G Major, Op 1/2

Adagio; Allegro vivace ~ Largo con espressione ~ Scherzo: Allegro - Trio ~ Finale: Presto

 

Haydn himself applauded Beethoven’s first compositions to which the young master and his former student would give the name opus, the tri-part piano trio Op 1, which includes todays No 2 in G Major.  Published in 1795, they represented a great advance in breadth of conception and confidence of execution—possessing four movements with a slow movement and a scherzo or minuet, perhaps for the first time for the medium. In the No 2’s slow introduction, the violin’s first melodic phrase casually anticipates the first subject of the following Allegro vivace.  The movement has a breadth and range characteristic of Beethoven throughout his career. The succeeding Largo is long, highly dramatic in places, and is largely dominated by the ornate piano part, though not to the exclusion of expressive melodic writing for the violin and cello. The Scherzo features a delicate B minor Trio and a fade-out Coda. The Finale, with busy repeated notes on violin and cello in the first theme, is reminiscent of Haydn.

 

Encore: Scherzo from Stefan Johannes Hanke (*1984) Piano Trio (2008)

 

Benedikt and Stephan have played together since 1999 (they received the first National Prize from “Jugend musiziert” as well as the “Cultural Advancement Award from the City of Regensburg”. They joined American cellist Marshall McDaniel in 2008 to form the Pescatori Trio. Essential to the musical growth of this young ensemble is their work with the musicians of the Fauré Quartet who have become their key teachers and advisors. In addition, the Pescatori Trio has received important input from Friedemann Berger, Anthony Spiri, the Auryn Quartet, and the Florestan Trio. An extensive concert schedule has brought the musicians through England, Italy, Austria and Germany to date and they were named the best piano trio in the final round at the international chamber music competition “Gaetano Zinetti” in May 2009. In the summer of 2010, they won first prize in the chamber music category of the 17th International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria. The name of the ensemble is taken from the “Casa Pescatori” in Montepulciano, Italy where the group lodged in their founding week.

 

 

Benedikt Wiedmann studied at the “Hochschule der Künste” in Zürich. In 2010 he attained his “Master of Concert Performance” degree, graduating with honors. He was concertmaster of the “Junge Deutsche Philharmonie”, played in the "Konzerthausorchester Berlin" and was a member of the Orchestra Academy of the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich. Currently he is a member of the National Opera in Oslo, Norway.

Marshall McDaniel started studying in September 2009 at the “Universität der Künste,” Berlin. He gathered orchestral experience as a member of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. He is the prize winner of numerous international competitions including the Italian Concorso Omizzolo and the Lions Club Quadrat Scholarship in 2008. He is also a composer with is most recent orchestral composition “Uncontrollable Lust” premiered in the Philharmonie, Berlin. In April 2010, his concerto for cello and orchestra was premiered at the Young European Music Festival in Esslingen in 2010.” He has many commissions for future works including one for a large symphonic piece from the International Mahler Orchestra.

Stephan Zilias finished his piano studies in 2009 at the “Hochschule für Musik” in Cologne, graduating with honors. Supported by an “Entrance Scholarship” from the Royal Academy of Music in London where he continues conducting and piano studies. In 2008 he made his debut at the Opera in Cologne and he will coach and assist for the premiere of Detlev Glanert´s new opera “Solaris” at the Bregenzer Festspiele in 2012.