Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) II. | Takemitsu, Schubert, Shostakovich

Program:
Toru Takemitsu: Between Tides
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, op. 8
*****
Franz Schubert: Notturno, D. 897
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67

Featuring:
János Mátyás Stark – violin
Gergely Devich – cello
Fülöp Ránki – piano

The two piano trios by Shostakovich range from unravelling to resignation. He wrote his Trio No 1 in C minor when he was sixteen and dedicated it to his girlfriend. Its single movement is bold and mature, although still closely linked to Romanticism. It is preceded by Toru Takemitsu's late trio Between Tides. The piece's contemplative, almost meditative character and subtle sonorities contrast sharply with the rest of the programme's rather narrative pieces. The second half opens with Schubert's Notturno, whose intimate tone is punctuated by solemn episodes. The Trio No 2 in E minor, completed in 1944, was dedicated by Shostakovich to the memory of his friend Ivan Shollertinsky, who died young. The scherzo, with its bursting energy, is surrounded by three sombre movements in a serious tone, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. The tragic return of the first movement's theme before the finale's end seems to be a reference to Tchaikovsky's Trio in A minor, also in memory of a lost friend.

Further concerts in this series:
5 October 2024 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) I. | Haydn, Liszt, Schubert
22 March 2025 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) III. | Haydn and Beethoven
7 June 2025 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) IV. | Schumann and Brahms