Weinberg, Penderecki & Schnittke: String Trios Trio Lirico

• Mieczysław Weinberg (1919 - 1996): String Trio, Op. 48:
• 1 String Trio, Op. 48: I. Allegro con moto - Moderato - Allegretto con Moto 06:25
• 2 String Trio, Op. 48: II. Andante 04:39
• 3 String Trio, Op. 48: III. Moderato Assai 04:16
• Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933): String Trio:
• 4 String Trio: I. Allegro Molto 08:03
• 5 String Trio: II. Vivace 05:41
• Alfred Schnittke (1934 - 1998): String Trio:
• 6 String Trio: I. Moderato 14:00
• 7 String Trio: II. Adagio 11:51
• Total Runtime 54:55

Info for Weinberg, Penderecki & Schnittke: String Trios

Music by three Eastern European composers who were made to suffer the reprisals of authoritarian regimes: composed for the intimate scoring of violin, viola and cello, this is highly expressive confessional music – or, in the words of Trio Lirico, “music of the heart”.

The Trio Lirico has programmed three composers who lived and worked on the Eastern side of the Iron Curtain until 1989: for Franziska Pietsch and Sophia Reuter this is music which - paraphrasing Goethe - they "search with their souls". "As children, we both lived in East Berlin and were close friends already", Franziska Pietsch explains about her violist colleague. "We therefore share personal history, a similar style of playing and a similar non-verbal way of communicating about this music. We just feel it."

Krzysztof Penderecki (b.1933), following the political liberalisation of Polish music from 1956, had the opportunity to tie in with avant-garde developments in the West and to create his very own and unique modernism. On the other hand, his generational colleague Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) and the older Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996) had, until the end of the Soviet Union, to assert their music in the face of massive harassment from the authorities which, in Weinberg's case, went as far as being arrested for anti-Semitic reasons.

Weinberg's music is entirely unique, and his string trio of 1950 strikes a balance between popular tunes and references to Yiddish music. Alfred Schnittke, who found it hard gaining acceptance on account of his (Volga) German and Jewish heritage, composed his trio in 1985 for the birthday of his illustrious colleague Alban Berg. The most recent work recorded here is by Poland's most eminent living composer, Krzysztof Penderecki: in 1991 he wrote his string trio as a great improvisation for three performers with a strict and wild fugue.

Trio Lirico:
Franziska Pietsch, violin
Sophia Reuter, viola
Johannes Krebs, cello

Trio Lirico
The three musicians of the Trio Lirico are connected by their passion for chamber music. They also pursue their careers as soloists. This soloistic influence on their chamber music is a hallmark of the ensemble, since the chamber musical dialogue is upheld with soloistic passion, three strong personalities “converse” on equal footing while maintaining their individuality, without neglecting the homogeneity of the ensemble. This results in a unique combination of temperament, musical enthusiasm and delightful anticipation. A soulful, nuanced string-sound and the successful combination of faithfulness to style and personal touch in the interpretations add to this. All of the above lead to the successful establishment of the Trio Lirico already shortly after its formation in 2014. The broad repertoire of the ensemble ranges from classic to contemporary works. Additionally, the inclusion of string duos in the concerts adds allure to the concerts.

To commemorate the hundredth death anniversary of Max Reger, the Trio Lirico recorded their debut-album with the label Audite, which was released in September 2017

Booklet for Weinberg, Penderecki & Schnittke: String Trios