Presents
Wilhelm Kienzl
Piano Trio in f minor, Op.13
Wilhelm Kienzl (1857-1941) was born in the small, picturesque upper Austrian town of Waizenkirchen. His family moved to the Styrian capital of Graz not long after. It was there that he began studies on the piano and later in composition. Subsequently he was sent to the music conservatory at Prague University. There his teacher, Josef Krejci who was also the director of the conservatory, took him to Bayreuth to hear the first performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle. It made a lasting impression on Kienzl and though he subsequently fell out with "The Wagnerites", he never lost his love for Wagner's music. The exposure to Wagner resulted in Kienzl eventually studying with Liszt at the Leipzig Conservatory before completing doctoral studies at the University of Vienna. Kienzl's first love was opera and then vocal music and it was in these two genres that he made his name. Several of his operas, such as Evangelimann, Kuhreigen, Urvasi and Heilmar der Naar, became famous and were widely performed throughout the German-speaking world. He was also considered, along with Hugo Wolf, one of the finest composers of Lieder (art songs) since Schubert.
Despite the fact that opera came first in his life, as it did for Mozart, Kienzl (again like Mozart) by no means ignored chamber music. He wrote three string quartets and a piano trio, which dates from 1880 just after he had completed his studies. (1880) As one one might expect, it is full of youthful exuberance, turmoil and tumult. Listening to the trio, if one had told you that Kienzl had been a student of Schumann and Mendelssohn, one would not have been surprised other than the fact that both of these composers had died before Kienzl was born. Kienzl wrote, that at the time he was composing his piano trio, the music of Schumann was on his mind. And one can hear the exuberance and punctuated by episodes of longing, which one finds in the music of Schumann. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, begins with a highly romantic, lyrical melody first introduced by the cello. A very Schumannesque energetic Scherzo follows. The lovely contrasting trio is fresh and flowing. A quiet, reflective and calm but very lyrical, singing Adagio is placed third. The unmistakable ghost of Schumann hovers over the closing, Allegro vivace, which brings this attractive trio to a satisfying close.
This appealing piano trio would certainly be welcome in the concert hall and can be especially warmly recommended to amateur groups as it is a straight forward work with no great difficulties.
Parts: $29.95
