# Piano Trios



## Klavierspieler

I did a search and surprisingly I did not find a thread already existing on this subject.

Does anyone have any recommendations for piano trios? I only know those by Schumann.


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## Trout

Beethoven's Archduke is probably my favorite.

Schubert's 2 trios, Brahms 1st, and Tchaikovsky's are also quite lovely. If you're looking for a modern trio one that I would recommend Shostakovich's 2nd. Oh and Brahms's Trio for Piano, Horn, and Violin is quite good.


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## tdc

I'd second those on Trout's list particularly the Beethoven. My all time personal favorite is Ravel's Piano Trio.


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## Air

Behold, the greatest piano trio ever written by mankind...






Well, maybe not the greatest, but Arensky's masterpiece is certainly one of the most gorgeous chamber works ever written. Deserves to be right up there with Beethoven's "Archduke" and Tchaikovsky's in the hall of fame! 

Clara Schumann also wrote a pretty darn good piano trio that equals her husband's in every way. Besides the piano concerto, I think it is her very best work. The third movement is absolutely heavenly:


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## tdc

Rachmaninoff's Piano Trios are also very good!


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## Chrythes

The only ones i've heard so far are Brahms Piano Trios and they are great.


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## elgar's ghost

Tchaikovsky's op. 50 - written at an especially dark time in his life. It also has an unusual structure - the opening movement is funereal in parts (the work was, I think, dedicated to the recently-deceased Nikolai Rubinstein). The second part is a set of variations - imagine a kind of chamber version of his 'Rococo Variations' but with more tension - followed by a coda which harks back to the solemn mood of the opening movement. Powerful stuff.

Shostakovich's Trio no. 2 op. 67 - even though it was written as the Red Army were pushing the Germans back to their own border this isn't a work born out of relief or celebration. A Jewish melody is introduced in the final movement (which he returned to years later in one of his string quartets) which indicates his sympathies were attuned to the suffering of not just the Soviet people as a result of persecution and war.

On a lighter note I can recommend Hindemith's comparatively brief trio op. 48 for the unusual combination of piano, viola and the oboe-like heckelphone. The work was written to accommodate a tenor sax in the absence of a heckelphone.


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## NightHawk

I found this thread late and I think my entire collection has been mentioned, so I'll add my enthusiasm: here is the Wikipedia Piano Trio A-Z repertoire list. Serious collecting can be done in this genre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_trio_repertoire


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## MossDef

The Ravel is my favorite, far and away -- truly magical writing. For me the other top ones would be the first Brahms, the first Arensky, the first Mendelssohn, most of the Beethoven and Dvorak, and the Tchaikovsky. There's great stuff from all of those other composers as well, and I feel that the Saint-Saens, Ives, and very young one from Debussy also merit attention.


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## Art Rock

Brahms. I prefer the second myself.


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## Aramis

Chopin's trio is my favourite, especially the slow movement and final one, with one of those typical Chopin themes: elegantly pensive. Weber's trio for piano, cello and flute also deserves mention, great early romantic work perfectly using the cello(dark brown)-flute(green) chemisty of colours.


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## Oskaar

Schuberts 2 are excellent!


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## Oskaar

Widors trio


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## Oskaar

Sibelius: Piano Trio in D- ('Korpo Trio'; unfinished), JS 209


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## Oskaar

Dvorák: B.56 op26 Piano Trio No.2


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## opus55

I like Brahms and Schumann trios. I don't have many recordings to compare but I enjoy Beaux Arts recordings that I have.


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## jurianbai

New update in my Piano trio limited collection. Really loves this two pieces by Thalberg and Moscheles.


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## peeyaj

Schubert's two piano trios; D.898 and D.929 are some of the greatest trios ever written. They were at par at Beethoven's. The slow movements of these two are the most gorgeous music I've heard. 

The slow movement of Piano Trio no.2 was used in Kubrick's masterpiece, Barry Lyndon..


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## Taneyev

Sergei Taneyev's huge piano trio op.22. One of the best of all the 19Th.century IMHO.


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## Crudblud

Love Ravel's piano trio (obviously), really like Tchaikovsky's too.

I like Beethoven's piano trios better than his symphonies, but then I don't like his symphonies much. Come to think of it I think I prefer his cello sonatas to both.


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## Vaneyes

Ligeti - Horn, Violin, Piano 
Bartok - "Contrasts" Clarinet, Violin, Piano
Brahms - Horn, Violin, Piano
Poulenc - Oboe, Bassoon, Piano


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## poconoron

I thoroughly enjoy the Mozart piano trios listed in this link:

http://www.answers.com/topic/mozart-piano-trios-classical-album


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## Quartetfore

Any of those listed will give you a great deal of enjoyment! My basic list includes the "Ghost and Archduke" of Beethoven, the Brahms #1 and #2, Schubert #1, Ravels only work, Arensky #1, Schostakovich 2nd, Dvorak Op 65 and 90, both Trios of Mendelssohn and Smetana`s only work. If I have left others favorites please excuse. Off the beaten track are works by Raff, Herzogenberg, Fuchs, Albert Dietrich.


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## MrCello

I am a cellist in a piano trio, we are currently playing Debussy's Piano Trio No. 1...

My favorites are Mendelssohn's 1st, Ravel's trio, and Rachmaninoff 1 and 2.


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## Art Rock

Listening to the Saint-Saens trio's right now. Very worthwhile.


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## Quartetfore

The first of the two has a theme that once you here it, it never leaves you.


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## Taneyev

...specially if you have it by Gilels-Kogan-Rostropovich (live, 1953)


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## Clementine

No love for Smetana's Piano Trio? It's one of his very best works.


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## Quartetfore

I put it on my basic list, I think it is one of the outstanding works of the genre.


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## jurianbai

checked the thread and found no meantioned of Haydn's piano trio Hob 24,25,26, the ones that dedicated to his London widow affair, Rebbeca Schroeter.


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## Quartetfore

I can`t say that I am a fan of the Haydn trios. I miis the Cello, something that is lacking in all of his trios that I know. You do find a greater use of the cello in some of the later trios of Mozart, but it was Beethoven who made the cello a full member of the trio as we know it.
I wonder why composers of our time have lost interest in the form. If you think about it, Shostakovich composed what many think of as the last great work in the genre. Of course by the Piano Trio I Mean Piano, Violin and Cello. There may be other great works composed in our time, but I for one don`t know them.
I would be interested in any ideas you may have.


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## jurianbai

perhaps should try some piano trio by Boccherini, I think it will have a cello play bigger rules. I can't find any on my database yet, but I am sure I've listen to some via youtube.


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## Quartetfore

While I like the String Quartet from just about entire history of the form, I reserve my time for the Piano Trio from Beethoven to say Schostakovich.


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## elgar's ghost

I have quite a few going back to Mozart and Haydn (his later ones) but I think Shostakovich's no. 2 is the most recent I know and that was written during WWII - nevertheless, it's certainly one of my favourites. Since then? I know Schnittke did a piano trio arrangement of his String Trio but I haven't heard it. Of other modernists, I think Kagel's written a couple for the usual instrumental combination, Wuorinen a single one and Ligeti wrote a piano trio featuring horn instead of cello but I've never heard any of those either.


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## Taneyev

Vissarion Shebalin's piano trio op.39


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## Quartetfore

Shebalin--know the name, but not a note of his music.
There is a Piano Trio composed by Moses Weinberg around the time of Shostakovich 2nd Piano Trio. I do have a recording of it, but for me it sounds like 2nd rate Shostakovich.


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## Taneyev

Shebalin had 9 SQ. I've all. You should try at least one of them.


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## thetrout

I like Beethoven's Opus 1/1 - in particular the second movement.


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## clavichorder

Tanevev and Alexander Tcherepnin have excellent trios. Taneyev's is very bold and symphonic. Tcherepnin's is very brief, quirky, and charming.


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## Sofronitsky

I'm not really contributing to the thread, but I wanted to thank you all for introducing me to the piano trios of Shostakovich and Ravel.

They're awesome !


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I love Shostakovich's second piano trio the best. Probably my favourite piano trio of all time.


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## Itullian

Schubert no. 2, unworldly.


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## elgar's ghost

I'll be expanding my own trio repertoire before too long - I'm being lured by a disc of the three surviving trios by Roslavets.


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## Quartetfore

Try the Piano Trio of Clara Schumann, it is a very fine work and just as enjoyable as her husbands three.


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## vladinsky

Haha...how sad Mozart,Haydn and Beethoven would be if they knew almost nobody here said a word about their piano trios! And they wrote a lot of music for this ensemble  But,I couldnt agree more about almost every recommendation in this thread. If I would have to say only one composition,that would be Schubert`s heavenly trio op.100. Cheers!


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## Ukko

I have just figured out why, when I look at the designation Kv452, I at first think it's a piano trio. It's because I am thinking of Kv254. Fortunately, both works are fine music, so I can't be too disappointed.


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## Quartetfore

I think that most of the "Posters" where thinking of the Romantic into the Modern era. For myself, I don`t care for the Haydn and Mozart Piano trios. I will say that there are some very find moments in these works. If I am correct, there was no mention of Brahms and his Trios. I would think that the first two are on the short list of the very greatest works of the genre.


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## Sid James

I love piano trios, and made THIS thread on them a while ago. Klavierspieler is gone now, so I'm putting it here for everyone else who's interested.

I have many favourites, among those are -

Beethoven - _Archduke_ & _Ghost_
Shostakovich - #2, very potent stuff, tragic
Rachmaninov - #2
Tchaikovsky
Schubert - the 2 trios, also the_ Notturno_ & _Trio Sonata movement (Sonatensatz)_
Ives
Haydn - _Gypsy Rondo_
Dvorak - the one in F minor, but also the_ Dumky_ one
Brahms - #3
RAvel

Some rare ones people may be interested in -

Bruch - very Brahmsian work
Copland - _Vitebsk, study on a Jewish Theme_ - has microtones!
Nigel Westlake - contemporary Australian composer, his trio of about 2003 I have recently discovered - a lyrical work with a jazzy ending, my review of that disc HERE
Debussy - an early work with a distinctly salon feel, doesn't take itself too seriously...


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## vladinsky

All of this trios are great, except Ives which I didnt listen to,but I will do that. There MUST be some other piece of music for piano trio that is great... I played Berstein`s trio,it is interesting when played good but not really a masterpiece. There is good transcription of Piazzolla`s Seasons which has been very popular with p.trios lately. You havent mentioned Arensky,that is also a good and demanding one. But,after Tchaikovsky,Brahms and Schubert(!!!) ... everything`s easy


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## Quartetfore

Here are some Piano Trios that are off the "beaten track", but I think that are enjoyable and rewarding.
Trios by Raff, Hezogenberg,Goldmark,Richard Franck,Carl Goetz,Albert Dietrich,Fredrich Gernsheim,Faure, and don`t forget the two by Mendelssohn. Two written by Spanish composers are Turina and an early work by Roberto Gerhard. It would seem that the 19th century into the 20the century was a "golden age" for the Piano Trio, for some reason there was a falling of interest in the genre closer to our time.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

The piano trio is one of my favourite genres. Can't go wrong with it.

This was the first piece from any piano trio that got numerous plays in my player. Since then, I have ended up with every single piano trio written by Haydn ... the addiction.


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## Sid James

vladinsky said:


> ... There is good transcription of Piazzolla`s Seasons which has been very popular with p.trios lately...


Yes, it's one I forgot to mention. I was fortunate to hear it live recently. The arrangement was made by a musician who knew *Piazzolla *and worked with him, Jose Bragato. I like how in this work, a lyrical theme is taken through the whole work. Amazing how Piazzolla makes it sound like everything under the sun, from impressionistic to quite full on & vigorous.

Also forgot *Mendelssohn's*, the darker one (the second one, I think) has this amazing chorale like ending which is the culmination of the work's ideas. This is pure genius, methinks...


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## Quartetfore

The second one it is (Op66) My favorite of the two, although the first is an outstanding work.


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## Pestouille

Could you give some records references... I am totally novice in Haydn trios and I have a middle-age internet connection bandwith, watching your movies is nearly impossible...
Thanks


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## suffolkcoastal

Some further American Piano Trios include the Trio of 1951 by David Diamond, a finely written work like all his chamber works, Harris's Trio from 1934, I have an off-air recording but I don't believe it has ever appeared on CD, quite a severe and demanding work but well worth getting to know and the two Piano Trios of Walter Piston, amazingly neither of which has ever been recorded.


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## Vaneyes

Pestouille said:


> Could you give some records references... I am totally novice in Haydn trios and I have a middle-age internet connection bandwith, watching your movies is nearly impossible...
> Thanks



View attachment 3563
KLR Trio (Dorian) and Beaux Arts Trio (Philips).

View attachment 3562


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## Pestouille

Vaneyes said:


> KLR Trio (Dorian) and Beaux Arts Trio (Philips).


Thanks Vaneyes, I will get Beaux Arts Trio and will tell you about!


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## Quartetfore

Add to my list of 'off the beaten track" two Trios composed by Woldemar Bargiel (1828-1897) on the MDG label, very worthwhile and enjoyable. Bargiel was a highly respected composer during his life, and interestingly was Clara Schumanns half-brother. By the way, I agree that her Piano Trio is a very good work.


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## Taneyev

But IMO, one of the best piano trios ever writen is still the huge, complex and dense Sergei Taneyev's. With PIT and SR, the best romantic Russian of all time.


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## Quartetfore

As for the Taneyev work, Its one I have never liked that much. It might be the recording that I have-to much reverb. I will give it another chance tomorrow.


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## Melvin

BEETHOVEN TRIO NO. 3 IN C MINOR!!!!




I still don't see why nobody ever mentions this one... Amazing counter-punctual writing

Other than that one, I think my favorites are
-the great Ravel trio, of course
-Schubert's 2 Trios
-Dvorak, No. 4 especially, and his others are very good as well
-and I've always had a soft spot for the Debussy trio. Although the composition is a bit "Unpolished", it has an air to it that is very unique, so it stands out to me among other trios.
-also, I think I might include the Chopin trio. A very unique piece as well.

Others lesser known trios that I think are worth mentioning:
-Robert Volkmann, has two trios that are very good. Championed by Franz Liszt! (according to wikipedia)
-Saint-Saens Trio no. 1 has some interesting ideas. I think the 3rd movement is quite memorable.
-Ceasar Franck Trio no. 1 in F# minor: This piece is very strange. it starts off with a simple piano line, and it kind of builds up gradually. I have a Richter recording of it, and the piece _really_ struck me when i first listened. It can be quite menacing when played with proper feeling.
-JN Hummel has several trios, which are nicely entertaining. They sound almost exactly like Mozart, but not quite.


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## Taneyev

Quartetfore said:


> As for the Taneyev work, Its one I have never liked that much. It might be the recording that I have-to much reverb. I will give it another chance tomorrow.


Which recording have you?


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## Quartetfore

Trio di Torino on the Real Sound label (Italian). The recording also has Anton Rubinstein Op. 52. From what what I understand, it was recorded In a very large hall and that might account for the sound. The Rubenstein is a nice work but not earth shaking. I do have a recording of another of his Trios, and once again not the best trio I have ever heard but playing once in a while. The recording is by the same Trio di Torino, and with the same sort of sounf.


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## Quartetfore

I think that all three of Beethovens early Piano Trios are very enjoyable, the last movement of the second one is just great.


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## Taneyev

Quartetfore said:


> Trio di Torino on the Real Sound label (Italian). The recording also has Anton Rubinstein Op. 52. From what what I understand, it was recorded In a very large hall and that might account for the sound. The Rubenstein is a nice work but not earth shaking. I do have a recording of another of his Trios, and once again not the best trio I have ever heard but playing once in a while. The recording is by the same Trio di Torino, and with the same sort of sounf.


IMHO, for a Russian composer choose a Russian player. For Taneyev's trio try the Borodin or the Oistrakh trios.


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## humanbean

Mozart's trios are quite under-appreciated, it seems. I've recently taken a liking to this recording of K. 254 by Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, and Mstislav Rostropovich:


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## MrCello

Just discovered Shostakovich's Piano Trio 1

Oh my god


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## Hausmusik

My favorites:

Beethoven "Archduke"
Beethoven "Ghost"
Mendelssohn #1
Schubert #2 (with original unabridged finale)
Shostakovich #2

Some scattered thoughts on the piano trio:

On another message board we recently discussed the piano trio. The idea was floated that the piano trio and the string quartet seem to rise and fall in prominence inversely to one another.

If I were to express this as a chart, the lines would "intersect" at Schubert and Beethoven, who wrote important music in both genres, but diverge before and after.

In the late 18th c the string quartet was clearly a much more significant genre. Compare how important the SQ was to Haydn and Mozart in trying out new solutions to formal and harmonic problems, figuring out how to balance the four voices, etc. vs. the piano trio for which they wrote delightful but less formally inventive or important music--cf. in the case of Haydn many of his trios are not written for equal partners but sonatas for violin and piano with cello "accompaniment."

Then after the deaths of Schubert and Beethoven, the string quartet would fall into decline for almost a century, with composers not taking it into any significant new directions until Schoenberg and Bartok, while at the same time basically the core piano trio repertoire is composed (Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Brahms, etc.). Yes, there are wonderful quartets by Mendelssohn and Brahms and Dvorak, but except maybe for the Brahms Opus 51 they don't really develop the genre, and even Brahms' are written very much in the shadow of Beethoven, as are Mendelssohn's; and many other great composers who wrote string quartets, like Schumann, wrote very academic ones, as though the string quartet had become a fustian antique or academic genre, a museum piece. (This is of course the same time that a "core repertoire" is being enshrined through public concerts, centered on the SQs of the past--cf. Christina Bashford's chapter in _The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet_, p. 10ff:
http://books.google.com/books?id=0b...rinement viennese&pg=PA10#v=onepage&q&f=false)

Then around 1910 or so, the piano trio goes into decline again (i.e. fewer major composers write for the genre, other than Shostakovich) while the string quartet is "revived" as an important chamber genre by Bartok, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, etc. who expand the possibilities of the genre into new directions.

It seems to me then that there's something peculiar to the Romantic era about the piano trio as a genre (also true of the piano quartet and quintet), which may explain why the great 20th c. piano trios have been written by composers with strong ties to late Romanticism (e.g. Shostakovich) or in homage to it (e.g. Ligeti's horn trio, if that counts, which is labelled an homage to Brahms)---but even Shostakovich, for instance, wrote only two piano trios (both pre-1945) while he wrote fifteen quartets from 1938-1974.


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## peeyaj




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## Arsakes

4 words:
Haydn, Dvorak, Brahms, Sibelius


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## Quartetfore

Hausmusic, while I agree that the 19th. century was the " Golden Age" of the Piano Trio, I can`t agree that the String Quartet Was in decline. That being said, there were a number of fine trios composed into the 20th century. While not master works they are very worth hearing. I am thinking of Trios by Moreran, Ireland, and Hubert Parry. The French were active in the field too. For example works of Ropartz, Rene-Baton and Pierne. There is also a beautiful work by the Spanish composer Roberto Gerhard.
What do you mean by "academic ones" (Quartets)? this is the first time that I have heard the term in relation to the works in question.


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## Hausmusik

Hi Quartet, 

I am afraid I didn't always express myself well in my post and made a cruder argument than I intended.

When I wrote "in decline" I did not mean to suggest there was not music of very high quality being written for string quartet. Some of my favorite quartets were written in this period. But every book I have read on the string quartet has suggested that by the mid-19th c. the SQ as a genre was beginning to be viewed as at once extremely canonical but also no longer a genre in which it was possible to do anything new. Think how much Brahms, Schumann and Mendelssohn struggled to break free of Beethoven's shadow in the genre possibly even more than in the symphony. And possibly the two greatest composers of SQs in the 19th c. (Brahms and Mendelssohn) were both heavily invested in conserving tradition and were villified by the musical "progressives" who were defining the age. The string quartet as perhaps the purest form of "absolute music" could scarcely have been a comfortable fit for a musical epoch impatient with inherited forms and inclined toward the programmatic. 

Or put it another way. Is there any 19th c. composer after LvB who one can plausibly say wrote his best music for string quartet, as can plausi ly said about Haydn and Beethoven, or Bartok and Shostakovich?


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## peeyaj

Hausmusik said:


> Or put it another way. Is there any 19th c. composer after LvB who one can plausibly say wrote his best music for string quartet, as can plausi ly said about Haydn and Beethoven, or Bartok and Shostakovich?


*Franz Peter Schubert.*

String Quartet no. 12 ''Quartetsatz''

String Quartet no. 13 ''Rosamunde''

String Quartet no. 14 ''Death and the Maiden''

String Quartet no. 15 in G major

He wrote some of the greatest quartets after Beethoven in 19th century. Death and the Maiden is on par with LvB on his late quartets.
The last one, in no. 15 is I consider one of the most harmonically innovative/daring quartets written on the 19th century.


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## Ukko

<< Or put it another way. Is there any 19th c. composer after LvB who one can plausibly say wrote his best music for string quartet, as can plausi ly said about Haydn and Beethoven, or Bartok and Shostakovich? >>

I don't even agree with that "plausi ly".


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## Clementine

peeyaj said:


> *Franz Peter Schubert.*
> He wrote some of the greatest quartets after Beethoven in 19th century. Death and the Maiden is on par with LvB on his late quartets.


C'mon give him a break, he said Schubert in his original assessment. Regardless, Schubert is a _contemporary_ of Beethoven, and if we really want to get technical, Schubert's 15th came before Beethoven's 16th.

Both symphonic music and the string quartet took a bit of a dive after Beethoven, as composers looked for new ways to write that wouldn't be under his shadow- thus the emergence of the tone poem and piano quintets/quartets/trios (although it should be noted that the latter also had to do with advances in the instrument). Brahms and Bruckner took off some of the weight with their symphonies, but Beethoven and Schubert stretched the string quartet further then they did the symphony, so I guess that's why it took longer. Though I would argue that it was Debussy who revitalized the form into something new and exciting.

Regardless, you can of course find wonderful string quartets and piano trios from all eras of its existence.


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## Hausmusik

peeyaj, As Schubert and Beethoven were writing their final quartets simultaneously and died a year apart I do not know that Schubert qualifies as "after" Beethoven! I do agree Schubert wrote amazing SQs and the 15th is a favorite of mine as well. 

EDIT: I previously overlooked Clementine's post saying pretty much the same thing.


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## PlaySalieri

Schuberts 2 piano trios - and Mozart also wrote some fine piano trios - K542 is the best


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## jeffpianoman

Check out the piano trio in F# minor by Arno Babajanian! He was sometimes called the Leonard Bernstein of Armenia, an enormously popular composer of both classical and more popular music. There is a memorial to him in central Yerevan. His music, especially the piano trio, was widely played in the Soviet block countries but virtually ignored in the west until the last several years.

The music has a unique harmonic structure, very melodic but doesn't sound like anyone else, recognizably eastern. The first movement of the trio starts by laying out a slow motif that is returned to throughout the first and third movements. This is followed by a gorgeously melodic, medium-tempo movement. The second slow movement is very pretty and in 3/4 time. Then comes the amazing third movement, in a meter that starts out in 5/4 and then is interspersed with 6/4, 4/4, 7/4, 1/4, you name it. It's a passionate, absolutely dazzling dance-like rondo, with a central lilting wistful melody, then returning to the rondo, then a break to echo the starting motif, then a huge crowd-pleasing finish.

It's also great fun to play -- in spite of the rhythmic complexity, the last movement is so well written that it plays itself. Edition Silvertrust has the sheet music.


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## Taneyev

What version do you have? I've one by Babadjanian at the piano, Oistrakh and Knushevitsky. Also his fantastic violin concerto by Kogan.


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## lilmoz

haydn piano trios is really famous!


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## jeffpianoman

I have heard it on You-Tube and played it, but I don't own the CD. Is the one that you own still available?


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## Taneyev

Don't know Jeff. I got it on trade with a friend who send me a copy of a CD or LP. He didn't say what. That copy has the trio+Haydn duo+Honegger sonatina (those with Igor),+Vladigerov song from Bulgarian site. Very probably it's an old LP.


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## stevenski

yes this is a beautiful underestimated work, especially first movement and exquisite heavenly theme of slow movementSteve


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## stevenski

My above post refers to Widor piano Trio!Steve


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## Hesoos

I've only heard the piano Beethoven Archduke Trio, but thanks to this thread I will try to find some of the trios that people recommend here.


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## ovk

peeyaj said:


> *Franz Peter Schubert.*
> String Quartet no. 12 ''Quartetsatz''
> String Quartet no. 13 ''Rosamunde''
> String Quartet no. 14 ''Death and the Maiden''
> String Quartet no. 15 in G major


They are composed in 1820-1826, not after Beethoven.


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## Renaissance

Piano trio is one of the easiest way to get into classical music. I like Beethoven's Op.70, both trios (Geister, which is #1, and #2).
Dvorak have some interesting trios, especially "Dumky" Op.90 (#4).
Schubert is heart breaking with his Piano Trio in E-flat. But all Schubert's Trios are magnificent, unfortunately he didn't write so many.


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## Quartetfore

In the past two weeks I have downloaded two new to me Piano Trios. The first of them is the only Piano Trio composed by Korngold at the age of 12! The first two movements are very good, but he seems to lose his way at the end of the work. Still not bad for 12 years old.
The second of the two is the 4th Trio of Julius Rontgen composed in 1898. This is a very warm and romantic work, influenced by Brahms and Schumann. 
If ihad to pick which of the two I like better, it would have to be Rontgen.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Do trios for horn, violin and piano count in this thread?


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## powerbooks

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do trios for horn, violin and piano count in this thread?


That was my question, but then I figured that the thread title calls for Piano trio. So I assume it refers to the traditional violin, cello, and piano combination.

Otherwise, there are some interesting trios worth mentioning here......


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

powerbooks said:


> That was my question, but then I figured that the thread title calls for Piano trio. So I assume it refers to the traditional violin, cello, and piano combination.
> 
> Otherwise, there are some interesting trios worth mentioning here......


But then there are many clarinet-viola-piano trios and clarinet-cello-piano trios that are also referred to as "piano trios."


----------



## powerbooks

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> But then there are many clarinet-viola-piano trios and clarinet-cello-piano trios that are also referred to as "piano trios."


Why are we always thinking the same thing?

I was just referring to this


----------



## Renaissance

Ravel Trio in A minor is sublime. 

And I also love Beethoven's Trio in B minor Op.11 (Clarinet Trio). Well, aside from the more obvious and famous stuff.


----------



## platno

What do you think about this piano trio, writen by Dejan Despic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejan_Despic)


__
https://soundcloud.com/platno-produkcija%2Ftrio-attacca-despic


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## mtmailey

DVORAK has 4 great piano trios i have them on a CD SET here.


----------



## Plum

Obviously late to the thread, but I'd like to mention the two *Piano Trios by Karl Goldmark* on the Centaur label by the Mendelssohn Piano Trio. These trios are rarely heard gems.


----------



## Novelette

Haydn's piano trios are magnificent and encompass a stunning expressive range, from the chipper [e.g., Piano Trio #16 in D, Hob. XV: 16] to the despairing [e.g., Piano Trio in F Minor, Hob. XV: F1].

Between the Beaux Arts Trio recording and the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt recording, I have a slight preference for the latter over the former. Still, both are excellent renderings of these great works.


----------



## jurianbai

Then should mentioned Beethoven's Trio in Bb - Op.11, listen the Clarinet variation.
Mozart Trio Keggelstat K.498, Clarinet - Piano - Viola.

On the woodwind I prefer Clarinet's timbre, I think best when superimpose with piano.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Shostakovich! Then my vote goes to Ravel.


----------



## peeyaj

I find Haydn's trios lacking. They were primarily dominated by the violin and piano. It's like (in my ears) piano and violin with cello accompaniment.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Novelette

peeyaj said:


> I find Haydn's trios lacking. They were primarily dominated by the violin and piano. It's like (in my ears) piano and violin with cello accompaniment.
> 
> Any thoughts?


You're right. Haydn usually relegates the bass to bare harmony, and the piano trios exemplify this. Still, this was typical of the time [with some exceptions, naturally], and I find it no downside to the works. I can't even estimate how many times I've listened to all of them, yet they are always fresh and interesting.


----------



## Quartetfore

Mozart in his later Piano Trios seems to be the first to allow the Cello an important role.


----------



## Novelette

Quartetfore said:


> Mozart in his later Piano Trios seems to be the first to allow the Cello an important role.


I have the same impression. Likewise in his later string quartets.


----------



## Arsakes

Question:
Who created Piano Trio?

Answer:
F.J.Haydn


----------



## KenOC

A piece I'm fond of, and which is not well known, is Beethoven's own piano trio arrangement of his 2nd Symphony. This got a very favorable review in the AMZ when it was first published.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Novelette said:


> Haydn's piano trios are magnificent and encompass a stunning expressive range, from the chipper [e.g., Piano Trio #16 in D, Hob. XV: 16] to the despairing [e.g., Piano Trio in F Minor, Hob. XV: F1].
> 
> Between the Beaux Arts Trio recording and the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt recording, I have a slight preference for the latter over the former. Still, both are excellent renderings of these great works.


Hello Novelette, have you heard the van Swieten trio recordings? How do you like these?


----------



## Novelette

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Hello Novelette, have you heard the van Swieten trio recordings? How do you like these?


I think I heard of them once or twice, but I have not heard them myself. A very brief internet search suggest that the piano is a fortepiano--a more or less historically informed performance?

Is this your favorite recording?


----------



## Neo Romanza

This thread reminds me I still need to listen to Schumann's _Piano Trios_. I've heard nothing but great things about them.


----------



## Feathers

I first heard Arensky's trio in its full just a few months ago (I know I know, where have I been all this time), and I've been listening to it quite frequently since then. What a polished and masterful piece! It has such an effortless and unpretentious beauty.


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## Quartetfore

A Trio well worth looking into is the one by Hermann Goetz (1840-1876) the date of the work is 1867. Goetz was a friend of Brahms, and you can hear a bit of his influence.


----------



## Novelette

Neo Romanza said:


> This thread reminds me I still need to listen to Schumann's _Piano Trios_. I've heard nothing but great things about them.


The D Minor piano trio of Schumann's is his best, in my opinion. They're all first-rate works, though.


----------



## Downbeat

Klavierspieler said:


> I did a search and surprisingly I did not find a thread already existing on this subject.
> 
> Does anyone have any recommendations for piano trios? I only know those by Schumann.


Schubert, definately


----------



## Quartetfore

Brahms, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Ravel, Shostakovich,and many others are the core of the Piano Trio genre. Of course anyone who likes Piano Trios has their own favorite works.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Novelette said:


> I think I heard of them once or twice, but I have not heard them myself. A very brief internet search suggest that the piano is a fortepiano--a more or less historically informed performance?
> 
> Is this your favorite recording?


I don't own the recording but it's being offered on amazon.de for a very cheap price (the full set for just 10 Euros). It's also received some very good reviews. I don't mind the pianoforte being used, it's rhythmatic and Haydn was great at rhythm, hehe.


----------



## Pa1nkiller

I'm absolutely in love with Beethoven's Op.1 No.3 trio. Very underrated.


----------



## Novelette

Pa1nkiller said:


> I'm absolutely in love with Beethoven's Op.1 No.3 trio. Very underrated.


It's a terrific piano trio, isn't it? The anecdote of Haydn's cautioning Beethoven that the public may not enjoy this trio is puzzling, especially given the tremendous turbulence of his own F Minor Piano Trio [unnumbered]. Nevertheless, the Viennese public has often been noted for its peculiar tastes and distates. Beethoven himself would come to resent them.

Nevertheless, all three movements are extraordinarily spirited and intense.


----------



## KenOC

Novelette said:


> Nevertheless, all three movements are extraordinarily spirited and intense.


I would add #s 1 and 2 as well. Excellent works. Beethoven was very careful in choosing which works would receive his first official opus number. He had been in Vienna for two or three years, and it was time.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

Novelette said:


> It's a terrific piano trio, isn't it? The anecdote of Haydn's cautioning Beethoven that the public may not enjoy this trio is puzzling, especially given the tremendous turbulence of his own F Minor Piano Trio [unnumbered]. Nevertheless, the Viennese public has often been noted for its peculiar tastes and distates. Beethoven himself would come to resent them.
> 
> Nevertheless, all three movements are extraordinarily spirited and intense.


Maybe Haydn knew that it was good and didn't want to enter into direct competition with Beethoven in this field.


----------



## KenOC

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Maybe Haydn knew that it was good and didn't want to enter into direct competition with Beethoven in this field.


An interesting thought, which may also touch on why Haydn gave up his Op. 77 quartets before finishing all six. I get the feeling that around this time the relations between Haydn and Beethoven were...complicated. Beethoven seems never to have made his peace with Haydn until late in his life, when he proudly kept a picture of Haydn's birthplace on his wall, that he loved to show off to visitors. And of course, he wrote the Op. 135, an homage sophisticated enough even for Haydn to appreciate.


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock

KenOC said:


> An interesting thought, which may also touch on why Haydn gave up his Op. 77 quartets before finishing all six. I get the feeling that around this time the relations between Haydn and Beethoven were...complicated. Beethoven seems never to have made his peace with Haydn until late in his life, when he proudly kept a picture of Haydn's birthplace on his wall, that he loved to show off to visitors. And of course, he wrote the Op. 135, an homage sophisticated enough even for Haydn to appreciate.


Well, I think he gave up the Op. 77 because he was simply too old to compose at this point. Haydn was known to appreciate truly talented musicians (such as Mozart), so I don't think that he didn't see the merit of Beethoven's composition.


----------



## Alydon

Klavierspieler said:


> I did a search and surprisingly I did not find a thread already existing on this subject.
> 
> Does anyone have any recommendations for piano trios? I only know those by Schumann.


All of Haydn's, of course. Enjoy!


----------



## TudorMihai

From the very large palette of Piano Trios, one worth mentioning is Enescu's Piano Trio in G minor (1897). Enescu also wrote a second Piano Trio, in A minor, in 1916 but I couldn't find it on YT. Here is Enescu's Piano Trio in G minor performed by the Brancusi Trio:


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## Skilmarilion

I just listened to the Ravel Trio for the first time and it transported me somewhere quite wonderful.


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## Vaneyes

Skilmarilion said:


> I just listened to the Ravel Trio for the first time and it transported me to *somewhere quite wonderful*.


No elaboration is necessary, but do stay safe.


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## niv

My fav right now is Brahms Trio in B, which I'm listening right now


----------



## Selby

I believe it tends to be ignored because it is only a single movement, but, Schubert's Notturno in E-flat major, D. 897 is a stunning composition of pure beauty.


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## Quartetfore

Mitchell said:


> I believe it tends to be ignored because it is only a single movement, but, Schubert's Notturno in E-flat major, D. 897 is a stunning composition of pure beauty.


With out question a beautiful little work


----------



## Avey

Skilmarilion said:


> I just listened to the Ravel Trio for the first time and it transported me somewhere quite wonderful.


+1 to Ravel's. Such a unique sound to the genre. One could say that of all Ravel's work, but the Trio is rather special.


----------



## Avey

...aaaand I'm back.

Dvorak's Terzetto. 

Am I right?


----------



## Pedro de Alvarado

The first piano trio by Joachim Raff is one of my favourite works.


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## Celloissimo

Ravel's Piano Trio is godly, it's by far my favorite.

I also quite enjoy Shostakovich No. 2 and Beethoven No. 3.


----------



## DebussyDoesDallas

Timely thread for me, as I'm only just beginning to become acquainted with this repertoire beyond Beethoven (the usual suspects), Schubert (my favorites), and Haydn (love that one with the slow movement he also used for the 102 symphony). Yesterday a big box came from the Berkshire Record Outlet with Schumann, Mozart, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn piano trios and I must confess these works are new to me. 

A lot of great recommendations in this thread. The Ravel is next on my list.

(Edit: Love these Florestan Trio discs on Hyperion--great sound and performance. I'd only add that I think I prefer Beaux Arts on the Beethoven and Haydn)


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## PaulmtAZ

Hmm I need to find Ravel's piano trio on Youtube. I've yet to hear that one


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## neoshredder

I gotta say this has become of my favorite instrumentations. Along with Piano Quartets and Piano Quintets. Will be reading this thread for other suggestions. Though I think the Romantic Era covers this instrumentation quite well imo.


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## DaDirkNL

Schubert has great piano trios. His D.929 in E flat major for example. It is one of the few pieces that was actually performed in front of an audience in Schubert's lifetime!


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## MrCello

I lose myself in Rachmaninoff's Piano Trio No. 2 every single time I listen to it. And I've been listening to it weekly for nearly four years...


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## hpowders

I love the Brahms piano trios and also Mendelssohn's two wonderful efforts.


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## neoshredder

And Schumann is awesome. His Piano Quintet a classic. Pretty good with the Piano Quartet as well.


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## norman bates

It seems that nobody has mentioned Frank Bridge and especially his piano trio n.2.
http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Bridge-Piano-Phantasie-Miniatures/dp/B001NZA0CO


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## Pedro de Alvarado

Clara Schumann's trio in G minor is lovely. Love the version played by the Boulanger Trio.


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## Scudder

For me the so called "Dumky" Piano Trio's by Antonin Dvorak are truly some of the most beautiful (chamber) music pieces ever written. Elegant, sweet and comforting.


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## mtmailey

MENDELSSOHN had 2 fine trios,MOZART had great ones also.


----------



## kangxi

For those who've mentioned & like Brahms's trios you should be aware that there are 2 versions of his B Maj Op8 trio. Brahms was deeply dissatisfied with his first attempt and the version you're probably all familiar with (I was, for many years) is the revised version written in 1889.
The first version was written in 1854 so there's a 35 year gap between them, which is enormous when you examine Brahms's musical development over that span.
There are at least 2 CDs of both versions: mine is by a trio called La Gaia Scienza, which Amazon don't have, but they have a performance by a group called Trio Testore.
If you're very familiar with the later version, it's a disconcerting experience to hear the earlier one. I experience a similar jarring experience quite frequently in my town: i know one identical twin well, and when I see or chat with his brother it's decidedly odd. 
Still, while there might be structural flaws in the 1st version it still works very well & is very listenable (although I would always place the revised version first). I would urge all Brahms fans to try the 2 pieces out together.

And while we're on about Brahms, I see that his so-called 1st piano trio (the A Major, of 1853 or 4) has had some doubts raised about its authenticity. I'm not convinced: it sounds like genuine Brahms to me & is a delightful work.


----------



## Guest

kangxi said:


> For those who've mentioned & like Brahms's trios you should be aware that there are 2 versions of his B Maj Op8 trio.


I wasn't aware of this, so thanks for this information.

I have 3 versions of the later version: one by The Beaux Arts Trio, another featuring Eugene Istomin (piano), Isaac Stern (violin), Leonard Rose (cello), and a third featuring Augustin Dumay (violin), Jian Wang (cello), Maria João Pires (piano).

They are all very good. The latest version I bought was the third of the above because I spotted it being identified as the one to go for on a Radio 3 program last year. It's a very nice work. I must stop buying duplicates, but I'm always tempted to try out recommendations from reputable sources that I normally trust.

I understand that it was Clara Schumann who commented adversely on the original 1854 version, and that's why Brahms ditched it, but was persuaded some 34 years later by his publisher to resurrect it along with some other candidates that he had given the chop to previously. I'll have a look out for the 1854 version.

In general, I like all of Brahms' chamber music. I like his piano music as well, plus his orchestral and choral works. I like Brahms, period. He is in the No 5 spot for me among favorite composers.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Shout out to Rebecca Clarke's Trio. Can't remember if it's been mentioned before or not.

Rebecca Clarke - Piano Trio

Also, her short work for the unusual combination of Violin, Viola, and Piano: _Dumka_.

Rebecca Clarke - _Dumka_


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## Vaneyes

Malcolm Arnold, Op. 54, w. Nash Ens. :tiphat:


----------



## AH music

New to the site - love lots of piano trios! Long standing favourites have been mentioned, especially Schubert's (including the Notturno) and Dvorak "Dumky" and many of the genius who was Haydn. Special new found favourites - also mentioned previously but rarer - Bargiel (there are three, they start well and just get better and better - wonderful music) and Gernsheim no 1. Edited to add - another trio I really like is by Josef Suk, Op 2 so an early piece, but I enjoy it.


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## GodNickSatan

I've been listening a lot to Shostakovich's second piano trio. It's probably one of the the most powerful pieces of music the genre has to offer, but I'm afraid if I listen to it too much I might jump out a window.


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## Fratello

Mozart , Piano Trio in B flat, KV 502


----------



## Vaneyes

GodNickSatan said:


> I've been listening a lot to Shostakovich's second piano trio. It's probably one of the the most powerful pieces of music the genre has to offer, but I'm afraid if I listen to it too much *I might jump out a window*.


Don't do that. You might hit someone.


----------



## Selby

^ Considering that Shostakovich was evoking Nazi soldiers sadistically toying with Jewish hostages by forcing them to dance at gunpoint, I recommend not listening to the Piano Trio No. 2 on repeat.


----------



## Fratello

Selby said:


> ^ Considering that Shostakovich was evoking Nazi soldiers sadistically toying with Jewish hostages by forcing them to dance at gunpoint, I recommend not listening to the Piano Trio No. 2 on repeat.


If they used Beethoven 9th symphony's 4th movement to do that you would say the same thing ?


----------



## AH music

Arensky No 1 - listening to it right now! Drama and beauty nicely complementing and contrasting.


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## hpowders

My favorite piano trios are the two Mendelssohn trios. After that, it's the first Brahms' trio.


----------



## Alypius

This is one of those genres I enjoy immensely. Most of these have turned up somewhere in this thread; however, not many seem to be aware of Turina's excellent trio of trios.

1. Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor (1914)
2. Dvořák: Piano Trio #4 in E minor ("Dumky") (1891) 
3. Beethoven: Piano Trio #7 in B flat, op. 97 ("Archduke") (1811)
4. Brahms: Piano Trio #1 in B major, op. 8 (1854 / 1889)
5. Schumann: Piano Trio #1 in D, op. 63 (1847)
6. Turina: Círculo: Fantasia para piano, violin y violincello, op. 91 (1936)
7. Schubert: Piano Trio #1 in B-flat major D. 898 (1827)
8. Beethoven: Piano Trio #5 in D, op.70/1 ("Ghost") (1808)
9. Fauré: Piano Trio in D minor, op. 120 (1923)
10. Dvořák: Piano Trio #3 in F minor, op.65 (1883)

11. Shostakovich: Piano Trio #2 in E minor, op. 67 (1944)
12. Mendelssohn: Piano Trio #1 (1839)
13. Turina: Piano Trio #1, op. 35 (1926)
14. Haydn: Piano Trio in G major ("Gypsy"), Hob. XV/25
15. Brahms: Piano Trio #3 in C-minor (1886)
16. Schubert: Piano Trio #2 in E flat, D929 (1827)
17. Enescu: Piano Trio (1897)
18. Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A, op. 50 ("In Memory of a Great Artist") (1882)
19. Arensky: Piano Trio #1 in D minor (1894)
20. Saint-Saens: Piano Trio #1 in F major, op. 18 (1863)

I've just recently come upon the Enescu Piano Trio and also the two Arensky Piano Trios. They may well move up the ladder as I listen to them more.


----------



## Guest

I don't know all of those just yet, but the Ravel trio (on that exact recording, too) is my favorite as well. Closely followed by the Archduke with the Beaux Arts Trio.


----------



## Skilmarilion

hpowders said:


> My favorite piano trios are the two Mendelssohn trios.


I find the 2nd trio to be especially fantastic, one of Mendelssohn's most captivating and fiery works. Trio Wanderer do a marvellous job with this one.


----------



## musicrom

I have a relatively obscure one that I enjoy a lot: Goldmark's Piano Trio No. 1, especially the second movement.


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## Guest

I don't believe Vasks' "Episodi E Canto Perpetuo" has been mentioned yet. A beautiful modern piano trio!


----------



## SONNET CLV

Rick Sowash has four interesting Trios available on CD:









http://www.sowash.com/recordings/trios.html


----------



## science

arcaneholocaust said:


> I don't believe Vasks' "Episodi E Canto Perpetuo" has been mentioned yet. A beautiful modern piano trio!


Do you have the MDG recording? Or is there another one?


----------



## hpowders

Skilmarilion said:


> I find the 2nd trio to be especially fantastic, one of Mendelssohn's most captivating and fiery works. Trio Wanderer do a marvellous job with this one.


Agreed. Yes, even though the first trio is the most popular, the second trio towers above it as greater music.


----------



## Guest

science said:


> Do you have the MDG recording? Or is there another one?


I think there are multiple recordings (according to allmusic), but yes, I have the one that comes with the Piano Quartet.


----------



## BartokPizz

Ravel
Brahms #1 and #2
Beethoven, Archduke Trio & Ghost Trio
Schubert #2
Mendelssohn #1
Faure


----------



## sbmonty

I've been listening to quite a few Piano Trios lately. Thanks for this. 
Any recommendations on recordings of Smetana and Arnesky?
Here is a link to a site that has numerous recommendations for a variety of chamber music genres, including Piano Trio. 
http://splendidlabyrinths.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-best-piano-trios-music-review.html


----------



## Pugg

sbmonty said:


> I've been listening to quite a few Piano Trios lately. Thanks for this.
> Any recommendations on recordings of Smetana and Arnesky?
> Here is a link to a site that has numerous recommendations for a variety of chamber music genres, including Piano Trio.
> http://splendidlabyrinths.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-best-piano-trios-music-review.html


Interesting reading, thank you .


----------



## Vaneyes

sbmonty said:


> I've been listening to quite a few Piano Trios lately. Thanks for this.
> *Any recommendations on recordings of Smetana and Arensky?*
> Here is a link to a site that has numerous recommendations for a variety of chamber music genres, including Piano Trio.
> http://splendidlabyrinths.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-best-piano-trios-music-review.html


----------



## Quartetfore

Vaneyes said:


>


I have the Smetana recording, it is outstanding.


----------



## sbmonty

Thanks to both of you. I'll check them out.


----------



## Bluecrab

Here's the first movement of the two-movement piano trio by American composer Jennifer Higdon. It's contemporary, but firmly in the classical tradition. This movement is simply beautiful. The second movement is much more up-tempo.


----------



## DeepR

I've barely listened to any chamber music. This is in fact the first piano trio I listened to and I like it very much. 
Considering the obscurity of the composer it's a safe bet that it hasn't been posted yet.


----------



## jihoo

Try Arensky (No.1, No.2), Ravel, Amy Beach, and Fauré.


----------



## Pugg

jihoo said:


> Try Arensky (No.1, No.2), Ravel, Amy Beach, and Fauré.


A new member with good taste. :tiphat:


----------



## hpowders

OP: The First Piano Trio by Brahms and the First Piano Trio by Mendelssohn are good starting points.

If you like those, then try the Brahms Trios 2 & 3 , the Mendelssohn Trio No. 2 and the Beethoven Archduke Trio.

Come Bach after listening to all those trios I recommended for further instructions.

By the way, how was the weather Bach in November, 2011?


----------



## Quartetfore

I would add the Dvorak Op.96, Schubert#1 and the Shostakovich #2 to your Piano Trios to try. Each one is a master work of the genre.


----------



## Bettina

Quartetfore said:


> I would add the *Dvorak Op.96*, Schubert#1 and the Shostakovich #2 to your Piano Trios to try. Each one is a master work of the genre.


I think Dvorak's Op. 96 is a string quartet...? Do you mean the Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 90?


----------



## Quartetfore

Bettina said:


> I think Dvorak's Op. 96 is a string quartet...? Do you mean the Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 90?


Right.sorry about that


----------



## Pugg

Quartetfore said:


> Right.sorry about that


All those numbers, gets confusing, happens to us all.


----------



## Klavierspieler

hpowders said:


> By the way, how was the weather Bach in November, 2011?


'Twas a dark and stormy night, and I had nothing better to do than start a thread on an internet forum...


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

There's a terrific wealth of fine piano trios out there. Here are some of my recommendations:

Brahms: Piano Trios performed by Katchen,Suk and Starker; also perf. by Istomim-Stern-Rose Trio
Ravel: Piano Trio in A Minor perf. by Grumiaux and Beaux Arts Trio; also perf. by De La Pau,Yan Pascal Tortelier and Paul Tortelier
Schubert: Piano Trios perf. by Ashkenazy,Zuckerman and Harrell; also perf. by Rubinstein,Szeryng and Fournier
Mozart: Piano Trios perf. by Beaux Arts Trio
Dvorak: Piano Trios perf. by Beaux Arts Trio
Beethoven: Piano Trios perf. by Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio
**Complete Haydn Trios performed by Beaux Arts Trio**>>>Absolutely superb


----------



## HenryPenfold

The piano trio is, IMHO, the best format for creating light and shade and air and space between instruments. Although Vivaldi is a master of this with bigger ensemble. This week I've listened to the Martinu trios quite a lot.


----------



## eugeneonagain

Two trios I listened to recently:

Germaine Tailleferre:






Malcolm Arnold. This one threw me, it's very different to a lot of his music.

First movement only:


----------



## aussiebushman

This is a very old thread and apologies for coming in so late, but I am only a recently joined member. 

Most selections are highly subjective as are mine, being conditioned by the recordings in my collection or others that have stuck in my memory - Long ago I was a member of the Mozart and Schubert societies in Sydney where the music was certainly NOT confined to those composers. I also thank the various contributors for recommending many works outside my own experience. Meanwhile, my own list of favorites would be as follows:

Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8 , Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67

Chausson - Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 3

Beethoven - Piano Trio No. 7 in B-flat major "Archduke", Op. 97

Brahms - Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87, Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101

Dvořák - Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor "Dumky", Op.90/B.166, Piano Trio No. 1 in B♭ major, Op. 21/B. 51, Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, Op. 26/B.56

Bloch - Piano Trio

Taneyev - Piano Trio in D major, Op. 22

Saint-Saëns - Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 92 

Fauré - Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120

Franck - Piano Trio No. 2 in B♭ major, Op. 1, No. 2, Piano Trio No. 3 in B minor, Op. 1, No. 

Ravel - Piano Trio in A minor 

Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50

Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49, Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 

If anyone is interested, I can probably get the performers from my recordings for most of these


----------



## Roger Knox

aussiebushman said:


> If anyone is interested, I can probably get the performers from my recordings for most of these


Thanks for joining and for your post! I'm interested in the performers (group name is enough) and label. Of the ones I know (Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Faure, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Tchaikovsky) I agree with all of your choices!


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## Art Rock

I've just been listening to the three piano trios of Woldemar Bargiel (1828-1897). Well worthwhile a spin.


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## Roger Knox

HenryPenfold said:


> The piano trio is, IMHO, the best format for creating light and shade and air and space between instruments.


I like this comment! Each particular combination of instruments has its own character, associations, advantages and challenges. Shostakovich, for example, would look up the existing repertoire before choosing to write for any combination.


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## MusicSybarite

Other piano trios I find captivating (and some less known) are these ones:

Sviridov
Weinberg
Rubbra
Moeran
Tyberg
Martin, Frank
Villa-Lobos
Hurlstone
d'Ollone
Novák, Vitezslav
Gretchaninov
Ropartz
Godard
Lalo
Alkan


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## eugeneonagain

Art Rock said:


> I've just been listening to the three piano trios of Woldemar Bargiel (1828-1897). Well worthwhile a spin.


I just listened to 1 and 2. I didn't think they would appeal to me, but they are good. Somewhat different than the music related to that period and I learned that Bargiel was the (half) brother of Clara Schumann from their mother's second marriage. I feel that his music is quite distinct from that of the Schumann's.


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## aussiebushman

Interesting that you include Alkan. I only recently discovered this composer when I acquired a collection of second hand CDs.

The trio Op 30 manages to be highly melodic as well as lively and shares "romantic" with elements of modernism. Reviews comment that Judaic culture, the French baroque and German classicism were the main influences on Alkan's musical style. Others may disagree but I hear echoes of Brahms.

There is an excellent introduction to the work here:


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## Josquin13

Like others on this thread, my favorite piano trios are by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Shostakovich, Faure, Chausson, and Ravel.

More off the beaten path, I also enjoy listening to the piano trios of Bohuslav Martinu, Joseph-Guy Ropartz, Guillaume Lekeu, Nikolai Roslavets, Rimsky-Korsakov, Darius Milhaud, Albert Roussel, Jean Sibelius, Vagn Holmboe (a single piano trio, entitled "Nuigen"), Joonas Kokkonen (a single piano trio composed in 1948, early in Kokkonen's career, at aged 27), and Per Nørgård (entitled, "Spell").

Here's a clip to Holmboe and Nørgård's Piano Trios, played by Trio Ondine (both are recent discoveries for me):






Kokkonen's piano trio isn't on You Tube, but it's worth hearing (it may be on Spotify...?):

https://www.amazon.com/Kokkonen-Mee...r0&keywords=joonas+kokkonen+meet+the+composer





Roslavets Piano Trio No. 3:






Milhaud Piano Trio, Op. 428 (1968) 1. Modere, 2. Anime, 3. Calme, 4. Violent:










Ropartz Piano Trio in A Minor:






Roussel Piano Trio, Op. 2:






Lekeu Piano Trio in C Minor (1891):






Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Trio in C Minor:


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## Roger Knox

Interesting discoveries! Here is Debussy's early_ Piano Trio_ (1880, age 18; re-discovered in 1982). He started at the Paris Conservatory at 10, was _very_ well trained before heading into new territory:


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## Quartetfore

There is a very good recording of the work on the old RCA label that features Andre Previn on Piano. Previn was a very fine Chamber performer as well as conducter. The work was composed when Debussy had taken a job as a music tutor and pianist to Madame von Meck famous as Tchaikovsky`s great benefactor. I think that the first three movements are very beautiful, the last movement seems to me to tail off a bit.


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## juliante

MrCello said:


> I lose myself in Rachmaninoff's Piano Trio No. 2 every single time I listen to it. And I've been listening to it weekly for nearly four years...


I agree Mr Cello, if you are still around 4 years later! - scanned this thread for the Trio Elegiaque as it is really one of my favourite Trios. I am no fan of Rach, too much pathos by a long way for me. This work is no different, but I find the rapturous melancholy of this piece irresistible and a remarkable achievement for a 20 year old.


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## kyjo

Roger Knox said:


> Interesting discoveries! Here is Debussy's early_ Piano Trio_ (1880, age 18; re-discovered in 1982). He started at the Paris Conservatory at 10, was _very_ well trained before heading into new territory:


I've always had a soft spot for this piece. Really delightful with a beautiful slow movement.


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## Vahe Sahakian

Among the less well known trios my favorite is Trio No. 1 by Joaquin Turina, I have a recording of this work on Chandos CD performed by The Borodin Trio. If you like the music of Albeniz and Granados you will love this trio.


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## sbmonty

To those who love Fauré, his Trio in D minor, op. 120 is also recorded as a trio for clarinet, cello and piano. A nice contrast. I understand this was his original conception of the work.


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## HenryPenfold

Currently enjoying Martinu's Piano Trio #3 by the Smetena Trio on Supraphon.


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## LittleSoul

Beethoven's 'Archduke' Trio is perfect from beginning 'til the end...interpreted by Jos van Immerseel, Vera Beths, Anner Bylsma!!

Smetana's unique trio's great, it sounds like a beautiful conversation between instruments, Chausson's, Debussy's L3 and L137, sonata in trio for flute, alto and harp is great too..., Dvorak's Op.90 'Dumky', Ravel's beautiful too, Rheinberger's Op.121, Rachmaninov's, Tchaikovsky's, Brahms' Op.40, piano, violin, horn trio is beautiful too, Antonio Fragoso's, Catoire's, Arensky's...


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## Quartetfore

Nice to see Rheinbergers name to come up , he did compose four very fine Piano trios. Any body know his String Quartets?


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## Brahmatist

Schubert's two trios are for me the pinnacle of the genre. I never tire of listening to them. 

As much as I revere Beethoven, I am largely indifferent to his piano trios, with an active dislike for the 6th. 

Brahms's three trios are also quite excellent.


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## MusicSybarite

This is my definitive list (so far) in chronological order by composer:

Beethoven - Op. 97
Schubert - No. 2
Alkan
Franck - No. 1
Lalo - No. 3
Smetana
Goldmark - No. 2
Brahms - No. 1
Tchaikovsky
Lange-Müller
Chausson
Martucci - No. 1
Novák
Rachmaninoff - Elegiac trio No. 2
Ravel
Villa-Lobos - No. 2
Martin
Moeran
Shostakovich - No. 2


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