Presents
Heinrich Marschner
Piano Trio No.4 in D Major, Op.135
"Heinrich Marschner's Piano Trio No.4 dates from 1847. Both themes to the opening Allegro giusto are very fetching. The piano writing is first rate and effective without bringing attention to itself. This is a very captivating movement. Again, in the slow movement, Andante, we find the cello given the lead with a sad and reflective vocal aria. When the violin enters, a very fine duet ensues. In the middle section, the strings bring forth an emotionally charged theme in the form of a desperate plea. This gorgeous music is archetypical of mid 19th century romanticism. It is hard to imagine it could be improved upon. A Scherzo, Presto is placed third and the piano which provides the forward motion. An exciting Vivace concludes the work which is deserving of performance."----The Chamber Music Journal
Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861), rival of Weber and friend of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, was widely regarded as one of the most important composers in Europe from about 1830 until the end of the 19th century. Even today, he is generally acknowledged as the leading composer of German opera between Weber's death and Wagner. Though he considered himself primarily a composer of opera, he did write 7 piano trios and 2 piano quartets. These did not escape the notice of Schumann who praised the piano trios lavishly and for good reason. Marschner did not just toss off these works as an afterthought but clearly devoted considerable time and effort writing them. To each of his works for piano, violin and cello he gave the title "Grand Trio", indicative of the importance he attached to them. In these fine works, one finds all of the emotions prevalent in the romantic movement during the mid-19th century expressed in a fresh, original and captivating manner.
After searching for several years, we finally came across a 170 year old copy. The ink had faded in places and there were all sorts of water marks, smudges, detritus and fingerings. We have spent many hours digitally cleaning, darkening, and removing fingerings and have been able to create a serviceable performance edition in order to rescue this masterwork from oblivion. But, it is not pristine like a newly published work nor the equal in quality of a modern edition. The price, less than our generally very low prices, reflects this fact.
Parts: $24.95
