Réflexions
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Piano Trio in G major (1880)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Trio in A minor (1914)
Jean Françaix (1912-1997)
Piano Trio (1986)
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
D’un matin de printemps (1918)
Trio Gaon
rec. 2024, Studio 2, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich, Germany
Hänssler Classic HC23045 [69]
The piano trio is not a genre teeming with examples and particularly few of them have been seen in France. I was interested to read in the notes that Debussy wrote his when he was only 18, though he was clearly making sufficient waves at such an early age to have been requested to write it by Nadežda von Meck, Tchaikovsky’s patron, who invited the young composer to act as a piano tutor, vocal accompanist and chamber musician, during the summers of 1880-1882 in Switzerland, Russia, Austria and Italy. Such an engagement at so young an age must have been an immense source of pride to Debussy, but although he marked it “premier trio”, he never wrote another and composed his only string quartet more than ten years later. The trio itself was lost and only rediscovered as late as 1979-82. It is a mystery to me why neither the trio nor quartet appealed further to Debussy after he had written one of each because the genres fit his musical ideas so well. For me, he was the personification of late Romanticism, a composer who, perhaps more than any other, could ‘paint’ in music, as it were. His style was evident right from the beginning of his career and in this trio, it emerges immediately the work begins. This work belies the young age of its composer; it is full of lush harmonies and beautiful melodies. When I think of Debussy’s music, I always picture lazy picnics by a river on hazy, sunlit days, a scene evoked by the first movement. The second is cheekily playful, while the last two have a deeper emotional content.
If Debussy was so closely associated with the late Romantic period, then Maurice Ravel from the next generation was equally attracted by the musical ideas embodied in it. For me, he is equally associated with the same lush writing style as Debussy. The opening of his trio is one of my favourites in all music. The gentle, lilting tune that emerges from the very first notes is so jaw-droppingly lovely that I am deeply affected every time I hear it; it is indescribably delicious. It is then explored as the tune is reworked in various ways though the piano and violin always keep the principal elements intact; Ravel makes every note count. The poetic form from Malay culture used in the second movement illustrates Ravel’s groundbreakingly innovative ideas, as is his use of the baroque Passacaglia in the third, in which the cello comes into its own in this trio while the piano asserts its role as anchor in impressive fashion. The concluding animated finale draws all the constituent parts together, with the opening theme always vaguely in the background. It is no wonder that, as the notes have it, this work is ‘one of the most important chamber music pieces of the turn of the century’ and why, it is one I will never tire of hearing.
We next come to another composer’s sole piano trio, written nearly sixty years after Ravel’s. Jean Françaix’s music has always struck me as joyful and full of fun; if ever there was a composer who did not take himself seriously it is he and this trio is no exception. As the notes point out, Françaix ploughed his own furrow and cared nothing for whether his music was considered as serious or entertaining, a characteristic I admire – for why should any composer feel obliged by either convention or critics to write in a particular way? Music which composers either want or feel compelled to write is always likely to be better and more successful than anything resultant of being forced into a mould. The four movements are almost of uniform length, making a very neat package, and their playful nature is bound to bring a smile to listeners’ faces. Françaix’s use of various styles is typical of his neoclassical writing; among them, Latin American dance rhythms make their presence felt in the most pleasing of ways. The spirited finale is a perfect example of his sense of fun.
The subtitle of the disc, ‘French piano trios’, is interesting, in that these works represent the best in trio writing yet are in three cases the composers’ only venture into the genre, despite each being a thoroughly effective, excellent and successful example of the form. Once again, it begs the question as to why they never explored it again.
The final work on this most enjoyable disc is one of the last works composed by Lili Boulanger who, tragically, died at the age of 24. Fiercely talented, she was the first woman ever to win the Prix de Rome in 1913 aged 19. This short work, originally written for violin and piano was later followed by an orchestral version. It is a truly delightful piece that highlights the prodigious talent so cruelly cut short. It works wonderfully well for a trio; the opening perfectly represents the hope that spring brings, and is followed by a delightful evocation of birdsong. The work culminates with a rush for the exit, all three instruments joining in a burst of energy and an effervescent, glissando flourish from the piano bringing it to an excited close. It is one of those ‘what ifs’ of history that we can only ruefully speculate as to what brilliant and enjoyable works she would have bestowed upon the world had she lived as long as her equally gifted sister, Nadia.
This young trio is one to watch; the three musicians are clearly at one with each other and their obvious enjoyment in playing together results in committed performances that delight the ear. The sound is crisp and clear. This disc is one to savour.
Steve Arloff
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