Pixis: Piano Trios

Featuring

Tim Horton
Benjamin Nabarro
Gemma Rosefield
Leonore Piano Trio
Johann Peter Pixis

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Composition History

The Trio Concertant No. 1 features themes from George Onslow's forgotten opera "Le Colporteur" and was a collaboration between Pixis and the Bohrer Brothers, Anton (violinist) and Max (cellist).

Composer Biography

Johann Peter Pixis, the composer of these piano trios, is primarily remembered for his contribution to Liszt's Hexaméron and a few musical anecdotes.

Notable Performances

In 1837, Liszt organized a concert where a Pixis piano trio was mistakenly played as Beethoven, receiving enthusiastic applause, while the actual Beethoven trio, played as Pixis, was met with boredom.

Compositional Technique

The finale of Pixis's Piano Trio No. 3 in B minor, Op. 95, is labeled 'alla Mauresque', meaning 'in the style relating to (or characteristic of) the Moors', similar to Mozart's 'Rondo alla Turca'.

Composition History

The Grand Piano Trio No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 75, was dedicated to Pixis's friend J.N. Hummel, a composer and pianist, who likely noticed similarities in their piano writing.

Composer Biography

Pixis lived in Paris from the late 1820s to 1845 and was considered one of the leading pianists of his era.

Critical Reception

A. Ehrlich, in his 1894 book "Celebrated Pianists of the Past and Present", noted that Pixis's 150 compositions, including concertos, sonatas, and operas, were largely forgotten by his time.