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

As a new member, I'm not sure if the question of the Piano Trios has been dealt with.
From my perspective, I wish to have a debate on their significance in the development of the production of the various composers, to identify the most important of them and to name some great recordings along the way.
As for me, the Piano Trios constitute some of the most vital forms of composition and some composers wrote some of the most brilliant music for Piano in this medium.

Principe

I'm afraid I don't think I can offer anything substantial on this topic, but I will say that my favourite piano trios of all time are Mendelssohn's pair, and I think the recording that really captures their vitality is by the Trio Jean Paul.

Excellent choice, Mephistopheles. The recording is good, but, in any case, these works have a saturated stock of all kind of recordings. A real embarassment of choice.
However, before we reach the Romantic (early reomantic) era, there are plenty from composers before Mendelssohn. Are you sure you are not aware of any of them?

Principe

I really like the Mendelssohn pair. I'll add to his, Haydn's piano trios. I have an album from "Trio Wanderer" of Haydn's 39, 43-45. 43 and 44 in particular are my favorites.

By all means, Sonata. Haydn was the father of Piano Trio medium. It is imperative for anyone interested in getting to know this outstanding and brilliant form of music to indulge in listening to practically the whole output of Haydn's opus in this field.
The late ones, like the two in E-flat, the one in E major, the one in C major, the one in F sharp minor and the famous G major "the Gypsy" are some of the very best music for the Piano Trio music, containing the most brilliant music, in the Classic period, for piano along with Mozart's Piano Concerti, in the repertory for piano plus other instruments.

Principe

Is it not the case that Haydn's piano trios 'suffer' from the limitations of the instruments of the time? What I mean is I that the pianos he was writing for had a very weak bass, so the 'cello doubling the bass most of the time is less a lack of imagination than a necessity imposed by contemporary instruments. Similarly, the pianos of the day had a brighter sound than modern ones, so we get passages, for example, where the piano and violin are in thirds - with the piano on top. This seems odd on modern instruments, because the balancing is different, but period instruments are not everyone's taste (not mine, that's for sure). Apparently this is also the genre which contains his most free expression for the piano.

I don't know the genre very well, but I thought I would add that in which I read somewhere. I'll listen to some of the Beethoven ones (I was given a complete set recently), and see what I think.

Schubert's two piano trios: in B Flat and E Flat major. Two of the greatest piano trio ever written. Dvorak's Dumky Trio is great, too.

Robert Fuchs wrote 2, Frederich Gernsheim wrote 2, and Herzogenberg wrote 2. These are must haves to sit along side those of Brahms and Schumann.

Mozart is thought in his last Piano Trios to free the Cello from just providing a bass line to being an important part of the Piano Trio.
Just about every important composer in the 19th century tried his hand at the genre, except Wagner of course. The 19th century was the Golden age of the Piano Trio, there seemed to be a falling off of interest as we come into our time, althoughRavel and much later Shostakovich composed masterworks. I would think that a good basic list to explore would be:
Bethoven, Op. 79#1 (Ghost) and Op.97 (Arch Duke
Schubert Op. 99
Brahms, First and Second Trios
Dvorak, Op65, and Op. 95 (Dumkey)
Ravels only Trio
Shostakovich 2nd trio
Arensky, his first Trio (a beautiful work)
From past posts, every one seems to have favorites, but I think that the above will serve as a good way to get into a very worthwhile area of Chamber Music.

Schumann's Piano Trios. Particularly No. 2.

I have the Beaux Arts Trio:
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The piano trio has become one of my favourite combinations in chamber music. I like the old stuff of course, but I like the newer stuff as well, one I'd mention is the one by Charles Ives, which has this crazy counterpoint and his trademark hymn tunes (and the middle movement is marked TSIAJ or This Scherzo Is A Joke). Contemporary Australian composers have done ones I like as well, Nigel Westlake and Paul Stanhope.

Some older threads on this topic:
Favourite Piano Trios
Piano Trios

I particularly like trios made up of piano, string and wind instrument. Particulaly piano, clarinet and viola or horn, violin and piano.

I'm truly glad that this medium has some fans and two other threads have been established in the past (thanks Sid).
My perspective was to discuss about the significance of the medium and to refer to some recordings too, along the way.
Since we are still in mentioning composers and works, I have to add the wonderful trios of the contemporaries of Beethoven, namely Pleyel, Hummel, Ries, Spohr, Hoffmann. Later, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann and the two miraculously beautiful Piano Trios of Saint-Saens. we should not forget, by the way, the gorgeous Trio by Faure.


More to follow, later.

Principe

Originally Posted by ComposerOfAvantGarde

I particularly like trios made up of piano, string and wind instrument. Particulaly piano, clarinet and viola or horn, violin and piano.

Ahh, yes. I completely agree!

Another omission so far: None mentioned the great, superb, magnificent, albeit a Romantic over the top Piano Trio by...Tchaikovsky. Amazing work, if you have the time, the stamina and the sheer interest in such a Romantic immense journey. Great work in the medium, anyway.

Principe