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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260308T160000
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SUMMARY:HORSZOWSKI TRIO
DESCRIPTION:GET TICKETSGiving performances that are “lithe\, persuasive” (The New York Times)\, “eloquent and enthralling” (The Boston Globe)\, and described as “the most compelling American group to come on the scene” (The New Yorker)\, the Horszowski Trio has quickly become a vital force in the international chamber music world. Since their debut performance in New York City in 2011\, they have toured extensively throughout North America\, Europe\, the Far East\, and India\, traversing the extensive oeuvre of traditional piano trio repertoire and introducing audiences to new music that they have commissioned and premiered. \nThe concert is followed by a reception where you can meet the artists.\nAll are encouraged to attend. \nProgram\nW.A. Mozart\nDivertimento in B-flat major\, K. 254 (also known as the Trio No. 1)\n \nArnold Schoenberg/Aizawa\nSix Little Piano Pieces\, Op. 19 \nMaurice Ravel\nTrio \nJohannes Brahms\nTrio No. 2 in C major \nProgram Notes\nDivertimento in B-flat major\, K. 254 (1776) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart \nIn 1776\, at the age of twenty\, Mozart composed the Divertimento in B-flat major\, K. 254\, during his tenure in Salzburg under the employ of Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. Commonly known today as the “Trio No. 1\,” the work predates Mozart’s mature piano trios and occupies a distinctive place in his chamber output. It was written for keyboard\, violin\, and cello\, at a time when the keyboard—most often the fortepiano—typically dominated chamber textures\, with string parts serving largely supportive roles. \nThe Divertimento reflects the circumstances in Mozart’s life in Salzburg. In the mid-1770s\, his ambitions as an opera composer were temporarily curtailed\, and much of his energy was devoted to instrumental music suited to courtly and domestic performance. The title “Divertimento” suggests entertainment music\, yet the scale of K. 254 exceeds that of lighter serenade-like works. Cast in three substantial movements—Allegro assai\, Adagio\, and Rondeau (Tempo di menuetto)—the piece displays a breadth and structural command that look ahead to his later Viennese chamber works. \nThe opening Allegro assai is notable for its symphonic character. Unlike many keyboard-centered trios of the period\, K. 254 distributes thematic material more equitably among the instruments. The violin frequently engages in dialogue with the keyboard’s right hand\, while the cello part\, though often doubling the bass line\, participates more independently than was customary in earlier eighteenth-century chamber writing. The development section demonstrates Mozart’s growing confidence with motivic transformation and modulation. \nThe central Adagio\, in E-flat major\, is expansive and lyrical. Here\, Mozart’s vocal sensibility is on display—a cantabile violin melody floats over an expressive keyboard accompaniment. The harmonic language\, while rooted in galant clarity\, ventures into darker inflections that anticipate the emotional range of his later slow movements. The concluding Rondeau combines elegance with rhythmic vitality\, its minuet-like character reflecting contemporary taste while maintaining structural sophistication. \nSix Little Piano Pieces\, Op. 19 – Arnold Schoenberg (arr. Rieko Aizawa) \nSchoenberg composed the Six Little Piano Pieces\, Op. 19\, in 1911\, at a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution. Having moved beyond late-Romantic chromaticism\, he was exploring a new musical language characterized by extreme concentration and the dissolution of traditional tonal hierarchies. The pieces are brief—some lasting less than a minute—yet they represent a decisive step toward atonality and the highly compressed forms that would become central to his aesthetic. \nThe sixth piece carries particular historical resonance. Schoenberg added it shortly after the death of Gustav Mahler in May 1911\, and it is often interpreted as a memorial gesture. Marked sehr langsam (very slow)\, it unfolds in hushed sonorities\, its spare texture and unresolved harmonies embodying the introspective quality of the set as a whole. Across the six movements\, Schoenberg avoids extended thematic development; instead\, each piece presents a sharply etched musical idea\, distilled to its essence. \nThe original version for solo piano was last performed at the Howland Center in 2025 by Emmanuel Ax. In the present arrangement by Rieko Aizawa\, the cycle is reimagined for piano trio with additional instruments. Alongside piano\, violin\, and cello\, the arrangement incorporates viola—performed by Jesse Mills—and percussion\, played by Aizawa herself. The use of strings draws out timbral possibilities that are implicit in Schoenberg’s writing\, offering a fresh perspective on their concise forms. Schoenberg’s emphasis on brevity and concentration remains central\, even as the sonic palette broadens. \nPiano Trio in A minor – Maurice Ravel \nMaurice Ravel completed his Piano Trio in A minor in 1914 in the Basque region of Saint-Jean-de-Luz\, where his mother was born. The work was finished just weeks before the outbreak of the First World War\, after which Ravel attempted to enlist in the French army. Its composition was marked by urgency; Ravel later remarked that he worked with particular intensity in order to complete the score before leaving for military service. \nThe Trio is cast in four movements: Modéré\, Pantoum (Assez vif)\, Passacaille (Très large)\, and Final (Animé). The first movement reflects Ravel’s interest in Basque musical elements\, particularly in its rhythmic patterns and modal inflections. The principal theme features a distinctive rhythmic asymmetry inspired in part by Basque dance traditions. Despite these references\, the movement adheres to a carefully constructed sonata form\, demonstrating Ravel’s characteristic balance of clarity and innovation. \nThe second movement takes its title from the pantoum\, a Malaysian poetic form that involves interlocking repetitions of lines. Ravel translates this structural idea into musical terms\, creating overlapping thematic statements between piano and strings. The interplay of duple and triple rhythms generates a subtle metric tension that persists throughout the movement. \nThe Passacaille\, built on a repeating bass line introduced by the piano\, unfolds with measured gravity. Beginning in a subdued dynamic\, it gradually expands in intensity and texture. The use of variation over a ground bass aligns Ravel with earlier compositional traditions\, yet the harmonic language and instrumental color remain distinctly his own. \nThe Finale\, marked Animé\, demands virtuosity from all three players. Rapid figurations in the piano and intricate string writing culminate in a brilliant conclusion. Throughout the Trio\, Ravel demonstrates meticulous attention to instrumental balance. He was attentive to the potential for the piano to overpower the strings and carefully calibrated textures to maintain clarity. \nPiano Trio No. 2 in C major\, Op. 87 – Johannes Brahms \nJohannes Brahms wrote his Piano Trio No. 2 in C major\, Op. 87\, in 1882 during a productive summer in Bad Ischl\, Austria. By this time Brahms was an established composer in his late forties\, having recently completed his Second Piano Concerto. The C major Trio followed more than two decades after his first published piano trio\, Op. 8\, which he substantially revised in 1889. \nOp. 87 is structured in four movements: Allegro\, Andante con moto\, Scherzo (Presto)\, and Finale (Allegro giocoso). The opening movement presents a broad\, lyrical theme in the cello before it is taken up by the violin and piano. The theme is characteristic of Brahms’s mature style\, in which expansive melodies are subjected to careful motivic development. The movement balances contrapuntal rigor with warmth of expression. \nThe Andante con moto is a set of variations on a theme introduced by the piano. Each variation alters texture\, rhythm\, or instrumentation while preserving the underlying harmonic framework. Brahms had long been drawn to variation form\, and this movement reflects his study of earlier composers\, including Haydn and Beethoven\, as well as his own interest in integrating variation technique within larger structures. \nThe Scherzo provides rhythmic contrast\, its driving energy and syncopations recalling Brahms’s affinity for Hungarian-inflected rhythms. The trio section offers a more lyrical interlude before the return of the scherzo material. The Finale\, marked Allegro giocoso\, concludes the work with buoyant themes and contrapuntal interplay among the three instruments. \nCompared to the more turbulent D minor Trio\, Op. 8\, the C major Trio projects a sunnier disposition\, though it retains Brahms’s characteristic density of texture. Written during a period of professional security and artistic confidence\, Op. 87 reflects a composer fully in command of his craft\, contributing significantly to the nineteenth-century piano trio repertoire. \nAbout the Artist\nGiving performances that are “lithe\, persuasive” (The New York Times)\, “eloquent and enthralling” (The Boston Globe)\, and described as “the most compelling American group to come on the scene” (The New Yorker)\, the Horszowski Trio has quickly become a vital force in the international chamber music world since their formation in 2011. In 2023\, the “Horszowski Trio Prize” was created by the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition\, to award piano trio winners. \nIn 2019\, the Horszowski Trio made its London debut in a sold-out concert presented by Wigmore Hall. Their success has led into a 21-concert-tour in Germany in 2022\, and they were acclaimed by major critics: “This ensemble can play anything.”; “With all the intensity of the expression that the three musicians achieve\, they play in a finely tuned manner\, span gripping musical arcs\, work out surprising details\, amaze with their interpretive imagination and stylistically confident sensitivity.”; “While listening to their Dvorak Dumky Trio\, you couldn’t believe that it was not a Czech but an American ensemble playing.” \nDuring the COVID pandemic\, the trio managed to keep performing\, including a special project in several performances of Morton Feldman’s epic\, two-hour- long Piano Trio — an artistically rewarding and timely work which offers a poignant reflection of the isolation of the times and also a hopeful and spiritual oasis. \nThe Horszowski Trio has appeared at major venues in the U.S.\, including New York\, Boston\, Philadelphia\, Washington DC\, Chicago\, San Francisco\, Los Angeles\, as well as Mexico\, Canada\, Japan\, and throughout Europe and Asia. Their recording of the complete piano trios of Robert Schumann on AVIE Records received tremendous acclaim: “great care and affection” (BBC Radio); “intoxicating” (Gramophone); “exciting and deeply felt” (Strings); “fresh\, supple and fantastic” (The Strad). \nThe Trio takes its inspiration from the musicianship\, integrity\, and humanity of the pre-eminent pianist Mieczysław Horszowski (1892–1993); the ensemble’s pianist\, Rieko Aizawa\, was Horszowski’s last pupil at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Described as “power players” by the Los Angeles Times\, the Horszowski Trio’s repertoire includes works by many of the composers with whom Mr. Horszowski had personal interaction\, including Gabriel Fauré\, Enrique Granados\, Bohuslav Martinů\, Maurice Ravel\, Camille Saint-Saëns and Heitor Villa-Lobos. The Horszowski Trio’s debut recording – an album of works by Gabriel Fauré\, Camille Saint-Saëns\, and Vincent d’Indy on the Bridge label – was released in 2014 and dedicated to the memory of Mieczysław Horszowski. Gramophone praised the “exemplary performance” of the “highly accomplished group\,” concluding\, “I long to hear more of the Horszowski Trio.” \nIn addition to their performance cycles of the complete trios of Beethoven\, Schumann and Brahms\, the Horszowski Trio is a passionate advocate for the music of our time. They have worked with the legendary composers John Harbison\, Charles Wuorinen\, and Joan Tower\, for whom the Trio recorded “For Daniel” in celebration of her 75th birthday. Recent premieres include works by Daron Hagen\, Eric Moe\, and (through a grant from Chamber Music America) Andreia Pinto-Correia. Other premieres include works by Kenji Bunch\, Stewart Goodyear\, Scott Lindroth\, Louis Karchin\, and Charles Wuorinen in addition to their “Phantasiestücke Project” which commemorates their 10th anniversary with three new works by Derek Bermel\, Paul Chihara and David Fulmer. The Trio’s violinist Jesse Mills\, a two-time Grammy nominee who is also a composer and arranger\, wrote “Painted Shadow” for the ensemble; the work was commissioned by and premiered at Bargemusic in Brooklyn\, New York in January 2015. \nThe Horszowski Trio is based in New York City. It is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge\, Massachusetts\, and of the Leschetizky Association in New York City. \nhttps://www.horszowskitrio.com/
URL:https://howlandmusic.org/events/horszowski-trio/
LOCATION:Howland Cultural Center\, 477 Main Street\, Beacon\, NY\, 12508
CATEGORIES:Chamber Music
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ORGANIZER;CN="Howland Chamber Music Circle":MAILTO:info@howlandmusic.org
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