Piano Trio (Tchaikovsky)

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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Trio in a minor, op. 50 for piano, violin, and cello is subtitled In memory of a Great Artist, by whom the composer meant the pianist Nikolai Rubinstein (1835-1881), a close friend of the composer. Tchaikovsky wrote the work in 1881-2, shortly after the pianist's death, and the piece is marked by a tragic perspective. It is in two movements:

I. Pezzo Elegiaco (Moderato assai - Allegro Giusto) (approx 18:00)

II.(A) Tema Con Variazoni - (B) Variazioni Finale e coda (approx 29:00)

Total timing: approx 47:00.

The variations are as follows:

Var I -

Var II: Più mosso -

Var III: Allegro moderato -

Var IV: L'istesso tempo (Allegro moderato) -

Var V: L'istesso tempo -

Var VI: Tempo di Valse -

Var VII: Allegro Moderato -

Var VIII: Fuga (Allegro moderato) -

Var IX: Andante fieble, ma non tanto -

Var X: Tempo di Mazurka -

Var XI: Moderato -

Variazioni Finale e coda: Allegretto risoluto e con fuoco -

[Coda] Andante con moto - Lugubre

The pezzo is a darkly brooding and rather conventional romantic first movement with a beautiful opening cello solo with a theme that returns for a final funeral march. The second movement is rather more unusual: it opens with an almost classical melody, much like Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello, and then proceed with an assured set of variations, also like the Rococo Variations. After working itself into more and more ecstatic heights culminating with the final variation, it suddenly goes through a surprising modulation to the original minor key, and the theme from the first movement returns with an even greater gravity, and the entire piece concludes with yet another death march.

The work, and the second movement in particular, is arguably the most difficult piece Tchaikovsky wrote for piano, whether solo, with orchestra, or in a chamber group. It remains popular, in spite of its length (it plays for more than 40 minutes), for its breathtaking lyricism and the cosmic finality of its final statement.