Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) III. | Haydn and Beethoven

Program:
Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio in E major, Hob. XV:28
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97 („Archduke”)

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

Haydn, as in so many of his works, is making countless subtle jokes in his Trio in E major. Even the string pizzicatos of the main theme at the very beginning of the piece are not out of the ordinary, not to mention the long piano solo in the slow movement and the sometimes breakneck modulations. The work's majesty and loftiness make it an ideal counterpart to Beethoven's 'Archduke' Trio – although their character makes it evident that while Haydn dedicated his trio to a virtuoso pianist, Beethoven's piece is addressed to Archduke Rudolf of Habsburg-Lorraine, to whom the composer dedicated many of his compositions. One of the most large-scale works in the trio repertoire, it is symphonic in scale yet retains the softness of the B flat major tonality and the the intimacy so characteristic of a small chamber ensemble, and its Andante in D major is one of Beethoven's most touching slow variational movements.

Further concerts in this series:
5 October 2024 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) I. | Haydn, Liszt, Schubert
4 January 2025 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) II. | Takemitsu, Schubert, Shostakovich
7 June 2025 7 PM Trio Haris (Ránki – Stark – Devich) IV. | Schumann and Brahms