DANIEL LOZAKOVICH / EDGAR MOREAU / BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV

The two works on the programme for this concert are undoubtedly the most successful attempts to renew the form of the Piano Trio in the late Romantic period. By alternating meditative episodes with energetic dances (the famous ‘Dumka’ that give the work its name), Dvořák succeeds in musically transcribing the versatility of the soul, which can plunge in the space of a few moments from tranquility to the most furious despair. It’s no coincidence that ‘Dumky’ refers both to a Czech dance and to a state of mind so characteristic of Slavic culture as to be untranslatable.  

It was perhaps this same state of mind that inspired Tchaikovsky when he composed his unique and funereal Piano Trio. The first movement is conceived as a single long phrase, with the first theme, shared between the violin and cello, never seeming to end, and the piano’s impassive rhythmic movements ensuring the movement’s dramatic continuity. The second movement is a theme and variations on a motif inspired by the classical style, reminiscent of the Rococo Variations. Beneath this apparent exercise in style, Tchaikovsky develops a dramatic framework that only comes to the fore in the grand finale of this unique work. It’s a dramatic challenge that the artists in this concert, all three of whom have distinguished themselves in their performances of the composer’s concertante works, seem best placed to meet.