© Zani-Casadio
On the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Trio Contro–Do
Axel Trolese piano
Demian Baraldi violin
Dylan Baraldi cello
Sergej Rachmaninov
Trio élégiaque No. 1 e No. 2 for violin, cello and piano
The young Trio, named after Paul Klee’s The Order of the High C, has the task of celebrating Rachmaninov’s anniversary with some often forgotten chamber pieces in which the influence of Tchaikovsky, his mentor and supporter in his formative years, is evident.
The Piano Trio no. 1 (1892), conceived quickly and performed shortly afterwards, is cast in only one movement and is clearly reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo elegiaco, the first movement of his Trio in A minor. The Trio no. 2, completed in a few months in 1893 and then revised several times until 1917, is modelled on Tchaikovsky’s structure, with the second movement consisting of variations on the seductive theme from his own ‘fantasia for orchestra’, The Rock, which Tchaikovsky himself had offered to premiere.
