Petr Eben's Piano Trio deliberately exploits the differences between the piano and strings, rather than attempting to blend them, viewing it as a 'cycle for string duo and piano.'
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bohuslav Martinů's Piano Trio No. 1, subtitled 'Cinq pièces brèves,' features a characteristic slant on neoclassicism, with music built from small cells and insistent rhythms, partly influenced by jazz.
Composer Biography
Petr Eben, a leading Czech composer, was interned in the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II because his father was Jewish.
Historical Context
The three works on this album cover the complete span of what is usually thought of as the Czech school of composition, from Smetana, its founding father, to Eben, who died in 2007.
Composition History
Smetana's Piano Trio in G minor was inspired by the personal tragedy of losing his eldest daughter, Bedřiška (Fritzi), to scarlet fever at the age of four.
Critical Reception
Smetana's Piano Trio in G minor received a poor reception at its 1855 premiere in Prague, with critics condemning it, but Franz Liszt later praised the work.
Composer Biography
Bedřich Smetana, a largely self-taught composer, once wrote in his diary, 'By the grace of God, and with his help, I will one day be a Liszt in technique and a Mozart in composition.'
You might also enjoy...
Reber: Trios Nos. 3, 5 & 7
Brahms & Dvořák Piano Trios
Robert & Clara Schumann: Piano Trios, Op. 17, 88 & 110
Lazzari, Kienzl & Jeral: Piano Trios
Brahms: Piano Trios
Schumann, C.: Piano Trio, Op. 17 / Schumann, R.: Piano Trio No. 3 / Rihm, W.: Fremde Szenen
