FRANZ SCHUBERT, String Trio in B-flat, D. 471
Composed in 1816, this string trio is a single-movement work that actually has an accompanied unfinished second movement that is published, but mostly never performed. The movement is in textbook sonata-form, with classic hallmarks of Schubert’s style – song-like melodies clearly accompanied in transparent textures. Written before any of Schubert’s more mature works, like the Quartettsatz or String Quartet No. 14 in D minor (Death and the Maiden), this string trio sticks to the Classical ideals staunchly, with clear conversations and imitations among instrumental parts, and symmetrical phrases within a refined structure.
W.A. MOZART, Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453
One of the most popular and widely performed piano concertos by Mozart, this masterwork was written when Mozart was 28 years old. This concerto is the fourth in a series of 12 concertos that Mozart wrote from 1784-1786, half of which were completed in 1784 alone. While prolific in his compositional output, each concerto is distinct from another, and this is no less a gem than any other.
The middle movement, Andante, showcases the keyboard soloist as an opera singer. Florid ornamentation and fioritura writing imitating the agile coloratura of a vocalist is combined with dramatic changes in mood and color nostalgic of operatic arias, creating an expressive canvas painted with intimacy, pain and memory.
OLIVIER MESSIAEN, Quatuor pour la fin du temps
​
Written in 1940-41, from within a German prison camp where Messiaen was being held, this work was premiered by fellow prisoners before an audience of about 400 prisoners and guards. Featuring the clarinet, violin, cello and piano together in different permutations, this piece was largely inspired by text from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, and thus carries highly religious overtones while simultaneously exploring various sounds such as bird calls in specific movements.
The fifth movement, Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus (Praise to the Eternity of Jesus), features a long and continuous line on the cello, accompanied by consistent chords in the piano. Of the movement, Messiaen writes:​
Jesus is considered here as the Word. A broad phrase, "infinitely slow," on the cello, magnifies with love and reverence the eternity of the Word, powerful and gentle, "whose time never runs out." The melody stretches majestically into a kind of gentle, regal distance. "In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
​
The work later was to become one of Messiaen's most important, and has been a favorite of audiences and performers alike almost since its inception.
ROBERT SCHUMANN, Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44
​
1842 has been dubbed Robert Schumann's “Year of Chamber Music," as it saw the creation of some of his best chamber works. The Piano Quintet is no exception, and ranks as one of his most popular compositions. From its inception, it quickly gained wide popularity with its celebratory and energetic character, following acclaimed premiere performances by Felix Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann (the work's dedicatee). In a time where chamber music was slowly migrating out of the salon and into the concert hall setting, Schumann navigated the best of both worlds by exploring a wider variety of characters, combining orchestral timbres with intimate colors.
Set in four movements, the Quintet explores the full extent of contrast, and each instrument’s musical role and purpose is stretched to the maximum. The Allegro brilliante opens with bursts of energy from the entire ensemble, but very soon gives way to instrumental solos full of tender longing and introspection. Evocative of a funeral march, the second movement explores tonal depth and darkness in the instrumentation, particularly giving great voice and attention to the normally overlooked viola part. Always on its way and moving through scalic passages is the Scherzo, which is set against two Trios – one that features a lyrical canon between the violin and viola, and another that is more march-like. The Finale starts off dark but with great determination and eventually gives way to sweeter and lighter textures which ultimately build towards a triumphant and extended fugue at the very end.