Thread: Piano Trios: Their significance, important works and great recordings.

Interesting post, HC.
While I can agree on the importance of the E major Trio by Mozart, I equally love the C major K.548 too. A magnificent work with the most telling slow movement from all six of the Wunderkind.
However, Haydn's Piano Trios are not vastly important because of the cello line (which, however, is musically well placed always), but owing to the brilliant Piano writing, the perfect form and some of the most memorable melodies and harmonies. I particularly appreciate the A major, the F sharp minor, the last E flat major, the E major and the serious d minor, among the incredible wealth of his Trios. However, even the early ones are so brilliant in writing and musical ideas, like the one in c minor.
For the most eloquent role of the cello in the Piano Trios, I'm afraid one has to go to Beethoven at least (see the glorious op. 70 in D major, with this magnificent d minor middle movement (the "Ghost"), and, by all means, to the Piano Trios by Schubert, arguably the best in the genre.
Surprisingly, the Piano Trios by Hummel are some jewels to discover, with roots both on Mozart and (less) on Beethoven.

Principe

Schumann's trios are terrible IMO--I almost literally cannot force myself to listen to them; I love his piano quartet and quintet though.

Mozart's piano trios don't compare with his greatest chamber music. David Hurwitz thinks Dvorak's F Minor Trio (#3) is the cat's pajamas but it does little for me.

My very favorite piano trios include a couple by Haydn, Beethoven's Opus 1/3, the two Opus 70 trios, and the Archduke, both of Schubert's but especially the second, Mendelssohn's first, Ravel's, Dvorak's 4th, and all three of Brahms's. Maybe Shostakovich too. A new "discovery" for me is Faure's trio, really lovely.

Originally Posted by Hausmusik

Schumann's trios are terrible IMO--I almost literally cannot force myself to listen to them; I love his piano quartet and quintet though.

Mozart's piano trios don't compare with his greatest chamber music. David Hurwitz thinks Dvorak's F Minor Trio (#3) is the cat's pajamas but it does little for me.

My very favorite piano trios include a couple by Haydn, Beethoven's Opus 1/3, the two Opus 70 trios, and the Archduke, both of Schubert's but especially the second, Mendelssohn's first, Ravel's, Dvorak's 4th, and all three of Brahms's. Maybe Shostakovich too. A new "discovery" for me is Faure's trio, really lovely.

Except for the E major trio.

Schumann's Trios are difficult to get into them, more or less like the last two of his three Violin Sonatas. However, in good performances, they are significant works for the medium. However, I agree: they are not for "easy" or everyday listening.
Which is the Mozart's "greatest Chamber Music"? For me, at least, (I can assure you I'm not the only one), I believe the last five or four of the six Piano Trios are some of the great marvels of Wolfgang and not only in Chamber Music.
Faure's Trio is a true masterpiece, deeply late Romantic. And quite French too. Ravel's sounds more accessible, but it is more difficult...Debussy's is almost crazy (despite written much earlier than the other two).
For new discoveries, try Rimsky-Korsakov's massive Piano Trio in c minor: a staggering 38 min. great work of the Russian Romantic tradition. On the other side of the spectrum, you may taste the first ever Piano Trios of C.P.E. Bach or Abel's.

Principe

I dismissed Schumann's trios initially too, but when I re-visited them later in closer detail I found them to be exquisite works. I'm particularly fond of the scintillating G minor trio.

Schumanns Piano Trios are fine works, but without a question his Piano Quintet must rate the finest of all Chamber music.

Let's leave the Piano Quintets for the appropriate thread for them. We still have to tackle the Piano Quartets (I prepare one for them, but I'm pretty busy now).
Anyway, there are still plenty of wonderful Piano Trios. The medium was far more popular for composers than Piano Quartets, Quintets or even Sextets.
By the way, have you ever explored E.T.A. Hoffmann's Piano Trio in E major? Or the vast production of George Onslow's Piano Trios? Or the wonderfully surprising Trios by Louis Spohr?

Principe

One more I have to add is Korngold's Piano Trio op. 1 in D major (1910). This astonishingly mature work was composed by a boy aged 12/13 - little wonder he knocked both Mahler and R. Strauss off their respective feet with his compositional precocity.

Korngold's Trio is a revelatory one. His Chamber Music is generally very good indeed.
Raff's four Piano Trios are Romantic masterpieces of large scale. Unfortunately, there is, I trust, only one recording (but a very good one) on Arte Nova. Another neglected, underrated composer, extremely interesting in his Chamber Music, to say the least.

Principe

The Raff Trios are on a CPO recording, this might be the same as the ArtNova recording.
I like the Korngold trio up to the last movement, It seems to me that he can`t end the work in a good way. Have you tried Koengolds string quartets? There is some very fine music there.

Thanks for the info, Quartetfore. The CPO recording is a newer one. I have to chase the two volumes or one of them at least.
I love and appreciate most of Korngold's Chamber Music. His Violin Sonata in G, op.6 is a marvel of his youth. The String Sextet in D, op.10 is also a very interesting and emotionally powerful work. The Piano Quintet in E, op.15 is a glorious albeit complex work, while the String Quartets are some sort of solid and fine works. However, my soft spot is the very rarely performed (and recorded) Suite for 2 Violins, Cello and Piano left hand, op.23: a rather late work, very intimate, almost introvert, but still, emotionally so direct and telling. A great musician and composer, unduly underrated and overlooked.

Principe

Agreed! Just a note on the CPO recordings. I don`t think that they are that well recorded. for my ears the violin is sort of distant. Don`t forget his wonderful Opera-- Toten Stadt. Great music!

By all means! I've got it, in the old recording on RCA with the great Neblet and the newer one with Weigle (and Vogt), on OEHMS.

Principe

This one is very much worth checking out:

Haydn, Dvorák, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Sibelius are the best at Piano Trio. Schumann's haven't impressed me yet, unlike his trios, Dvorák's 4 piano trios always cheer me up

This combination of one Piano, Cello and Violin is just too awesome not to consider.