Schubert's Piano Trios, Op. 99 and 100, were conceived for the concert hall, with sonorities, technical demands, and size scaled for public performance.
Instruments
The fortepiano used in this recording is a Conrad Graf instrument, made around 1835, which was saved from being converted into a table by a Swedish school teacher.
Interpretation
This recording uses instruments of Schubert's time, as the trios gain immeasurably in performance on such instruments and present difficulties of balance when played on modern ones.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schubert regarded the piano trio as an essentially lyrical genre, characterized by breadth of conception and profusion of melodic ideas, rather than the concentration of a string quartet.
Performer Biography
Jaap Schröder, the violinist, is a distinguished Dutch pedagogue and pioneer in the historical instrument movement, with a multi-faceted career as a quartet player, baroque violinist, soloist, conductor, and teacher.
Critical Reception
Robert Schumann's enthusiastic reviews of both trios in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1836 assured their artistic future, despite initial reluctance from publishers due to their length.
