da VINCI TRIO
SUNDAY 4th SEPTEMBER 2011 at 8:00 pm
Anthony Moffat - violin
Robert Irvine - cello
Scott Mitchell - piano
Programme:
Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No 1 in D minor Op 49
Molto allegro ed agitato Andante con moto tranquillo Scherzo: leggiero e vivace Allegro assai agitito
Those who still think that Mendelssohn's music is limited by his (supposedly) trouble-free middle-class upbringing will soon change their minds. This sonata is suffused with anxiety and tragedy, surprisingly after the composer's recent idyllic marriage. It is noted for the Schumannesque brilliance of the piano part.
The cello opens the first movement in self-doubt over dark chords in the piano: some relief comes with the more tranquil second theme, but the mood of tragedy returns in the recapitulation. True peace is achieved in the beautiful "song-without-words" second movement, but the central section is tenderly heart-breaking: the recapitulation introduces an element of counterpoint between violin and cello. The joy and humour of the scherzo passes at break-neck speed, but we are back to impassioned unease in the rondo finale, brought to a close in the major with showers of notes in the piano which must have been much easier to perform on the pianos of the time!
Shostakovich - Piano Trio No 1 in C minor Op 8
Adagio
The 17-year old Shostakovich originally entitled this short work "Poθme". Written after the sickly youth had first fallen in love, the work is a hymn to love both sacred and sensual. The work's chromatic yearning theme and its development are essentially romantic, a mood which he was shortly to repudiate: indeed, the composer never finished the work, which was completed by a pupil. It remains an unusual but worthwhile bywater in the composer's otherwise modernistic and politicized output.
INTERVAL
Schubert - Piano Trio No 1 in Bb major D898
Allegro moderato Andante un poco mosso Scherzo: allegro Rondo : allegro vivace
Schubert finished this work in the year of his death: as always, one is left wondering if the composer knew of his impending but premature demise. The first movement starts confidently enough, but a note of caution is introduced in the first theme's contrapuntal development and the mood is further softened by the second theme. The beauty of the second movement lies in its hesitancy and the regret this seems to express: a theme of real torment follows before the recapitulation ends in serenity. The scherzo is in the form of a minuet and trio: once again, the confidence of the minuet is somehow unsettling but on this occasion is mocked in the waltz-like trio. In the rondo finale, the striking opening theme is again shaken by contrapuntal development against a shivering piano accompaniment. As he does so often, Schubert seems to undermine the joy of his themes by constant, almost grinding repetition: the final recall, however, is in a distant key pianissimo before a presto coda brings this emotionally (and no doubt physically!) exhausting work to a defiant end. This work is indeed a noble successor to Beethoven's "Archduke" trio, and it is notable that Schubert felt able to approach the genre again in the year of Beethoven's death. How one wonders, given the maturity of his style at the age of 31, what this composer would have achieved had he lived longer.
The Da Vinci Piano Trio has explored the established piano trio extensively, but has also attracted many new commissions including works by Sally Beamish, Hellawell and Weisenberg (performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2009). The trio has performed at many festivals in the UK and has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
The leader, Anthony Moffat, was a founder member of the Duke String Quartet and the Borante Piano Trio and has led many of Britain's orchestras. He has led the Orchestra of Scottish Opera since 2001. He plays on a fine violin by Testore of Milan, ca. 1705.
Robert Irvine has led the cello sections in many British orchestras and was a founder member of the Brindisi String Quartet and responsible for launching the "Red Note Ensemble", which specializes in contemporary repertoire. Robert plays on a fine Venetian cello by Gofriller from1725, kindly loaned to him by Renagour Rare Instruments.
Scott Mitchell has performed extensively as a chamber music pianist and accompanist throughout Great Britain, Europe, South America and the Middle East. He performs regularly at St. John's Smith Square, the Purcell Room and at the Wigmore Hall. In addition, he is a regular performer on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. Scott is a staff accompanist and chamber music coach at the RSAMD in Glasgow.