Franz Joseph Haydn Piano Trio in C Major (Hob. XV: 27)

This is a whale of a program, tonight-one of the best of Haydn's wonderful piano trios, Mendelssohn's colossal D minor trio, and an intriguing new work by a seasoned, multi-culturalist Chinese-Canadian who was inspired by Pacific West-Coast native art.

The first thing to remember about Haydn's piano trios is that they are very close to the mid-18th-century tradition of making a piano sonata for home use with supplemental parts for the house violinist and cellist.  In this sense they differ from Haydn's string quartets-which have a more equal distribution of responsibility among the players-and from the rest of the works on this program.  Amateur music making at home was an important presence in the lives of Europeans of the rising middle class.  The relatively new instrument at the center of the fashion was the piano, and piano sonatas were often published with optional violin parts.  Imagine that when this trio in C major first appeared in 1797, it was titled "Piano Sonata with an Accompaniment for Violin and Cello," instead of "Piano Trio."

It was part of a group of three piano trios representing Haydn's last comments on the genre, and together these works were quite insignificant compared to the bigger, more public compositions he was preparing during this time.  He had returned to Vienna from an extended stay in London to find that he had become a culture hero, and the great musical mentor Baron van Swieten moved him into the composition of sacred choral works, culminating in his oratorio, The Creation.  What we know specifically about the set of Hoboken XV: 27-29 is that he wrote them for a virtuoso, a woman named Theresa Bartolozzi, who was Haydn's friend to the extent that he was a witness for her wedding.  Though we accept the historical origins of the piano trio, it is clear that few households would have been sight-reading this piece for grins after dinner.

The pianist, at least, would have been sweating. The first movement Allegro in sonata form takes some dark twists in its inventive development section, and the violin shares a bit of spotlight with the piano.  The Andante is a sweet and simple song-like vehicle for the piano with a stormy center.  If you don't know the Finale (Presto), you will think you do anyway.  The theme bounces in with adorable rhythmic drive and surprising stopped syncopations-you won't forget this character whether it belongs to a sonata or rondo form or something in between.

The great scholar on classical style, Charles Rosen, described the set: "Haydn's imagination is particularly luxuriant in these trios. Unconstrained by considerations of public effect, as in the symphonies or by impressive refinements of style as in the quartets, Haydn wrote them for the sheer pleasure of the solo instrumentalists."  I think we'll share in that pleasure, as well.

Chan Ka-Nin and the masks evoke...
Visual component developed by Robert Dewey

After an inspiring tour of the Pacific Northwest, the Gryphon Trio sought out renowned composer Chan Ka-Nin to create a work that would attempt to capture and embody the spirit and majesty of the remote areas of British Columbia and the Gwaii Haanas also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. Described as enigmatic, stunning, and mysterious, the work fuses the aboriginal culture with Chan's own musical language, influenced by his upbringing in Hong Kong. Expressing the voice of a people whose culture has been suppressed for a century, the work relates to the first ancestors, the spiritual world and transformation. In concert, huge images of dramatic contemporary masks created by First Nations artists are projected above the Trio while they perform the music in virtual darkness. Developed by producer Robert Dewey, the visual component of this work complements and intensifies the music, resulting in an experience that is hauntingly beautiful, immersive, and mesmerizing.

Chan Ka-Nin won a Juno Award for Best Classical Composition in 1993 and The Jean A. Chalmers Awards for Musical Composition in 1996. His music has been performed by the Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestra London Canada, an Canadian Opera Company Orchestra. His numerous international awards include Béla Bartók International Composers' Competition, Barlow International Competitions, Barlow International Composition Contest, International Horn Society Composition Contest, PROCAN Young Composers' Competition and Amherst Saxophone Quartet Composition Competition. Chan was born in Hong Kong and moved with his family to Vancouver in 1965. At University of British Columbia he studied composition with Jean Coulthard while pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. After graduation he decided to continue studying composition with Bernhard Heiden at Indiana University where he eventually obtained his Master's and Doctoral degrees in music. Since 1982 he has been teaching theory and composition at the University of Toronto.                                             -Gryphon Trio

 

Felix Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49 (1839)

Oh my, the great D minor trio of Mendelssohn's!   Even if you think you don't know it, you will recognize it from the outset.  Listen to the iconic first theme in the cello, while the restless piano accompanies.  The violin takes up where the cello leaves off and the idea is closed off just before the piano adds its lurid harmonic flashes.  And doesn't the amiable second theme in the relative major set your mind at ease (momentarily!)  It was written when Mendelssohn was at the height of his popularity as a conductor, and carefully revised according to the advice of Ferdinand Hiller (a highly successful German-Jewish composer, conductor, and the teacher of Max Bruch) so that the piano part would sound more "modern" (read romantically Schumannesque).

Schumann himself reviewed this Trio in 1840; it's fascinating to look at the opinions of a contemporary with a giant musical imagination-

The storm of recent years is finally beginning to abate, and we must admit that it has washed several pearls ashore.  Mendelssohn, as one of the many sons of this age, must have had to struggle with and often listen to the insipid declaration of some ignorant critics that ‘the true golden age of music is behind us' - although it probably affected him less - and has so distinguished himself that we may well say: He is the Mozart of the 19th century, the most brilliant of musicians, the one who most clearly perceives the contradictions of the age, and the first to reconcile them.

-generous praise from one who sought always the substance of music, and the inner meaning.

The second movement is a signature Mendelssohn "Song without Words," reminding us of his strong gift for melody.  The Scherzo follows, always the most recognizable movement and style for this composer.  Our scherzo fulfills all the expectations:  deft, dancing virtuosity with suggestions of the magical forest and flitting creatures, real and unreal, combined with a sense of perpetual motion.  No one can let down his guard, not even the page turner.  But the forest is friendly in the parallel key of D major.

In general, Mendelssohn pleases us by making very difficult parts that are supposed to sound easy for his performers.  The Allegro assai appassionato Finale is perhaps the most thoughtful movement, taking us on an emotional ride from aggression to intense yearning and back again.  Finger dexterity is still absolutely required, but the quickly shifting moods require an unwavering concentration.  Your attention will be riveted on the rapid changes that Mendelssohn's compositional imagination unfurls in quick succession, as our trio brings this mighty work to completion.

-Jeanne Belfy