Johannes Brahms composed five trios over almost 40 years, a significant portion of his career, consistently returning to chamber music.
Performer Biography
The Gustav Trio was formed by cellist Dario Destefano and violinist Francesco Comisso to continue their artistic collaboration, later joined by internationally renowned pianist Olaf John Laneri.
Composer Biography
Brahms's father, Johann Jakob, played both double bass and natural horn in Hamburg bands and taught his son the rudiments of the horn.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms's compositional journey involved a gradual detachment from the styles of Schumann and Mendelssohn, and a veneration for Beethoven, achieved through assimilating older styles and counterpoint.
Compositional Technique
Brahms's trios demonstrate his 'developing variation' technique, a method of deriving rich elaborations from simple melodic fragments, later crystallized by Schoenberg.
Historical Context
The young Brahms was heralded by Robert Schumann, a prominent composer and critic, as the true successor to Beethoven in an article in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik.
Recording & Production
This album features two different grand pianos: a Steinway & Sons for Op. 8, Op. 87, and Op. 101, and a Fazioli for Op. 40 and Op. 114.
