Berlin Stories: Mendelssohn, Juon, Skalkottas Trio Gaspard

• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847): Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66, MWV Q 33:
• 1 Mendelssohn: Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66, MWV Q 33: I. Allegro energico 09:56
• 2 Mendelssohn: Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66, MWV Q 33: II. Andante espressivo 06:26
• 3 Mendelssohn: Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66, MWV Q 33: III. Scherzo 03:42
• 4 Mendelssohn: Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66, MWV Q 33: IV. Finale 07:42
• Paul Juon (1872 - 1940): Litaniae, Op. 70:
• 5 Juon: Litaniae, Op. 70 17:38
• Nikos Skalkottas (1904 - 1949): Eight Variations on a Greek Folk Theme:
• 6 Skalkottas: Eight Variations on a Greek Folk Theme 10:02
• Total Runtime 55:26

Info for Berlin Stories: Mendelssohn, Juon, Skalkottas

Berlin Stories is the first in a new series of recordings by Trio Gaspard, focussed on different cultural capitals and composers associated with them. The album features three composers who lived and worked in Berlin for a period of their lives – for different reasons and in varying circumstances. Mendelssohn’s grandfather, Moses, was a philosopher and leader of the Haskalah, or Jewish Enlightenment, establishing a pre-eminent position for the family in Berlin, and creating the opportunities for both Felix and Fanny to realise their musical potential. The Second Piano Trio is a perfect example of Mendelssohn’s style, combining a total mastery of classical structure and counterpoint with romantic sensibility. Moscow-born, but of Swiss parentage, Paul Juon came to Berlin in 1894 to study composition at the city’s foremost Conservatory, and remained in the city until he retired, to Switzerland, in 1934. Litaniae, his fourth piano trio, is unlike anything else in the piano trio repertoire. It is cast as a single movement and resembles Richard Strauss’s tone poems in scale and ambition. The Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas arrived in Berlin in 1921, and stayed until 1933. He studied composition with a number of leading tutors, before spending five years with Arnold Schoenberg. His Eight Variations exemplify his ability to combine serial composition with his native folk music. All the members of Trio Gaspard have lived or still live in Berlin and Berlin Stories expresses their love and admiration for this endlessly fascinating and invigorating metropolis.

Trio Gaspard

Trio Gaspar
Winners of three major international competitions since their inception in 2010, Trio Gaspard is rapidly proving to be one of the most exciting young piano trios to emerge in recent years. In February 2012 The trio won 1st Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of a modern work at the International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition in Weimar. They were awarded 1st Prize at the 5th International Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna in February 2012, as well as receiving the Special Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Joseph Haydn. Additionally, the Trio won 1st Prize at the 17th International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France in March 2011. Founded in October 2010, Trio Gaspard has already given acclaimed recitals at the Wigmore Hall, London-; the historic Schlosstheater of Schönbrunn Palace, the ORF Kulturhaus in Vienna-; and at Salle Moliere in Lyon, France. Their performances have been broadcasted for SWR (German South West Radio) , ORF (Austrian Radio) and on Korean radio and television (KBS ‘Classical Odyssey’).

Trio Gaspard, whose members hail from South Korea, Greece and the UK, works regularly with the internationally renowned musician and one of the founding members of the Alban Berg Quartet, Professor Hatto Beyerle. Mr Beyerle describes them as ‘The best Piano Trio I have ever had, or heard’, and invited them to join the European Chamber Music Academy. As members of this prestigious organisation Trio Gaspard has given concerts in Germany, France, Paris, England and Vienna and had coaching sessions with many renowned teachers, including Johannes Meissl(Artis Quartet), Gerrit Zitterbart(Trio Abegg), Ferenc Rados, Avedis Kouyoumdjian and Peter Cropper(Lindsay Quartet).

All three players are successful soloists in their own right and continue to pursue their solo careers, giving recitals and performing concertos in prestigious halls across Europe, Asia and the USA. These venues include the Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Lincoln Center New York, Auditori de Madrid, Opera City Hall Tokyo, Megaron Music Hall Athens, Salle Garnier Montecarlo, Teatro Verdi di Firenze, Schubert-Saal Konzerthaus Vienna, Auditorio San Barnaba Brescia Teatro dei Rozzi Siena, Rudolfnium Hall Prague, Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Hall London. They are prize winners at international solo competitions including the Queen Elizabeth Piano Competition, the ‘Prague Spring’ Cello competition, and the Wieniawski Violin Competition.

Members from the trio have also performed individually with other chamber groups, collaborating with eminent artists such as Hillary Hahn, Mischa maisky, Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Giuranna, Grigory Zhislin, Tanja Tetzlaff, Radovan Vladkovich, Paul Neubauer, Bengt Forsberg, the Quartetto di Cremona and the Hermitage String Trio.

This season, the trio performed at the ‘Louis Spohr’ Festival in Braunschweig, for the SWR2 concert series in Edenkoben and made a concert tour of South Korea. Upcoming performances include a recital at the Haydn Festspiele in Eisenstadt, Austria, the Bronnbacher Musikfruehling in Germany and at the Wigmore Hall in January 2013.

Booklet for Berlin Stories: Mendelssohn, Juon, Skalkottas