Brahms Piano Trio #1.
I listened today to the Trio number 1 in B-Major for Piano, Cello and Violin by Johannes Brahms. It is an early work, yet already shows the composer’s great skill in creating an interesting collaboration between the three instruments.
Brahms was an amazing pianist, himself. And he went on tour in Europe during the late 1800’s with his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, performing the chamber music literature. As such, the piano part in this trio was likely written with the composer as performer in mind.
The trio is highly melodic, and Brahms also inserts a wonderful Fugue that allows the three instrumentalists to create some interplay among each other.
Brahms wrote a total of three piano trios:
- Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Opus 8
- Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Opus 87, and
- Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Opus 101
Here is a performance of the first trio by Marc-Andre Hamelin, Steven Isserlis, and Joshua Bell. And it is indeed a fine performance:
Tags: Johannes Brahms, Piano Trio, Isserlis, Hamelin, Joshua Bell
