Barbican Piano Trio - 20th Birthday Celebration

James Kirby    piano
Gaby Lester    violin
Robert Max    cello

Sunday 29th April 2007

Drayton Festival Centre, Market Drayton

Beethoven
Piano Trio Opl No3 in C minor

Allegro con brio; Andante cantabile con Variazioni; Menuetto (Quasi Allegro); Finale (prestissimo)

The third of the Lichnowsky Trios is often regarded as the finest of the set. However it was rumoured that in 1794 Haydn had advised the composer against publishing this trio because three of the four movements were in minor keys making it unsaleable. The individual way in which Beethoven rounds off the whole work cannot have helped matters either. Many of Haydn's Piano Trios were composed with amateur musicians in mind and they were never in more than three movements. Beethoven cast his Op.l Trios as would have been expected of a String Quartet or a Symphony - in four movements - and set the technical abilities demanded of the players uncompromisingly high.

The mood of the first movement reminds us of the pent-up energy of Mozart's Piano Concerto K491 with which it shares the key of C minor. Several passages have more than a passing likeness to Mozart's' C minor Sonata K457. The violin's momentary cadenza in the ninth bar looks anticipates the oboe's moment of glory in the first movement of Beethoven's own C minor Symphony. The Andante is the only movement of the Op.l set to be cast in Beethoven's beloved variation form, though he was to use this later in his Trios Op. 11, Op.44, Op. 70 no.2, the Archduke Trio and of course the Kakadu Variations Op.l21a. Through each variation the piano alternates in prominence with the strings. The Menuetto (unlike the Scherzos of Trios no.l and 2) is earnest and intense, though there is a touch of nobility and even humour in the C major Trio section. The Finale with its extreme tempo marking overflows with dramatic gestures where loud and angry outbursts contrast with soft passages characterised by their barely suppressed energy.

Beethoven
Piano Trio in D major Op 70 Nol (Ghost)

Allegro vivace e con brio; Largo assai ed espressivo; Presto

The summer of 1807 was spent in Heiligenstadt where Beethoven completed the Fifth Symphony and the A major Cello Sonata. As usual he attempted to overcome his consuming worries about his ever-increasing deafness and lack of regular income (not settled until 1809) through hard work, and he returned to the same place the following summer to complete the Sixth Symphony and the two Piano Trios Op 70, the latter both being dedicated to Countess Maria Erdody.

The two Trios are thoroughly complimentary in spirit: where the second (a partially neglected masterpiece) has breadth and grandeur, the first displays tautness and vitality. Notice the way the themes at the opening of the first movement are broken down into motive fragments and then set upon one another in the explosive development section. In the extraordinary central movement it is perhaps the hushed pianissimo melodies, even more than the fortissimo outbursts, that express the passion between the notes. The stretched contours of the melodic lines are not typical for this period and seem to anticipate the slow movements of the last cello Sonata Op 102 No 2, and the last piano sonatas. The last movement is, like the first movement, in sonata form with a decidedly humorous turn of phrase.

Beethoven
Trio in B flat Op97 (Archduke)

Allegro moderate; Scherzo (Allegro); Andante cantabile, ma pero con moto; Allegro moderate - Presto

Many composers associate certain moods with particular keys and Beethoven was no exception. C minor was reserved for drama and passion (the Fifth symphony and "Pathetique" Sonata), E-flat major for majesty and nobility (the "Eroica" Symphony and the "Emperor" Concerto) and B-flat major was for breadth and grandeur: his largest String Quartet Op. 130, the Piano Sonata Op. 106 and this Piano Trio.
It is not only Beethoven's profoundest Piano Trio but also his most texturally and thematically integrated. The opening theme from the first movement is very similar in shape to the theme at the beginning of the second movement and the second subject in the first movement uncannily resembles a speeded-up version of the theme of the variation third movement. The scoring in this trio is extremely subtle - often the strings picking out some inner harmonies from the piano part. The instruments frequently play within a narrow range and some of the violin part might sound equally well played on a viola. The link between the final movements gives us by far the largest uninterrupted span of Piano Trio music ever composed until then and Beethoven specialists may be reminded of the link between the last two movements of the G major Piano Concerto.

James Kirby

The Barbican Piano Trio

Noted for the vitality of its performances, the breadth of its repertoire and its ability to create a special rapport with its audience the Barbican Piano Trio has come to be regarded as one of the UK's leading chamber-music ensembles.

Having quickly attracted considerable critical acclaim, over the last twenty years the Trio has performed extensively giving concerts on four continents. Highlights of its work overseas include its performances in the Phillips Collection's 25th Anniversary "Celebrity Artist" Series (Washington DC) and at the Prado's 175th Anniversary Celebrations (Madrid). At home its frequent performances at the Wigmore Hall include a well received Complete Beethoven Cycle in the Hall's Master Concert Series. The Trio makes regular appearances at many UK festivals including City of London, Garsington, Harrogate, Newbury, Spitalfields and Warwick and has made a particular feature of its tours of Scotland. Its annual themed three concert series in Bristol, Cheltenham, Shrewsbury and Stamford has also proved especially popular.

The Barbican Piano Trio was formed in 1986 and immediately won the South East Arts Young Musicians’ Platform which led to concerts throughout the South East and its first recording for ASV. Two years later the Trio was awarded the Royal Overseas League Ensemble Prize and was selected for the Park Lane Group's Young Artist and 20th Century Music Series. Regular recordings and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and the BBC World Service followed.

Its overseas tours have taken the Trio to Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, the Far East, South America, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Denmark, France, Holland and Sweden. In the US, in addition to its performances in Washington DC and New York (including a successful Carnegie Hall debut in 1994) the Trio’s engagements have included performances and live radio broadcasts in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The Trio has a core repertoire of over seventy major works, but also enjoys performing less familiar works such as the trios of Saint-Saens, Chaminade, Chausson, Suit and Martinu and is an enthusiastic promoter of works by British composers including William Sterndale Bennett, Alan Bush, Hugh Wood, Peter Lawson and James Macmillan. The Trios collaboration with colleagues James Boyd (viola) and Mary Scully (double bass) for performances of piano quartets and quintets has also become a popular feature of its season. The Trio has recorded for ASV, Guild, Black Box and Dutton and its discography includes works by Mendelssohn, Lalo, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, Schnittke, Alan Bush and John Ireland,
The Trio is dedicated to educational activities and presents a variety of masterclasses and education concerts for children and students of all ages alongside its regular concert performances and recordings. The Trio is resident ensemble at Royal Holloway, University of London and works with the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust and the Wigmore Hall's Education Department on many occasions.

Last Updated : 29/04/2007