Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Trio Vita

I had the opportunity to interview these guys and record them performing Smetana's Piano Trio several months ago. Smetana wrote this composition shortly after the deaths of three of his young daughters. The piece fascinates me. There are sections where the mood is very excited and happy, but then abruptly cuts short. Other sections are filled with anger and outrage. The music sometimes devolves into despair...other times it bursts forth in fantasy and delight. It's almost as though Smetana was contrasting music that reflected the lives of his little girls against music that reflected his own turbulent emotions over their deaths. I could listen to it over and over.

1 comment:

AyDubb said...

I like this piece. The Romantic Period in music is my favorite era, with its rich melodies and such. Typical of the period, the music pours out emotion...Smetana is one of my faves of the era, with Schubert being my favorite. Ironic, though: both died of syphillis.