Louis Karchin

Piano Trio

Composer's Note:

My Trio for violin, cello, and piano was composed in 2018 during a period when chamber music composition was an important focus for my writing. I was well aware of the legacy of the genre, rich in masterpieces, and its traditions certainly influenced my thinking. In fact, the opening upward-sweeping motif of theTrio was inspired by the opening of an older work of slightly expanded instrumentation, Robert Schumann's famous E flat major Piano Quintet. (At the work's premiere in Dublin, Ireland, the Fidelio Trio took note of this bridge by programming the Schumannn alongside my own work, adding the necessary extra players).

The first movement of the Trio is in a traditional Sonata-Allegro form, with an exposition containing several themes, the second one, a leaping cello solo that explores the extreme registers of the instrument. The more contemplative second movement has two distinct themes, and these are varied and expanded as the movement progresses; at one point, both combine in a direct and audible way. The third movement is a galloping finale, and is cast as a modified Rondo.