Chamber Music Repertoire with Piano

[frederic]

I was going to post a topic about Piano Trios but i thought i should widen the scope a bit by asking about any chamber music that includes the piano. I am in a Piano Trio and we're having a difficult time picking out some pieces that we all enjoy. The string players seem to be very stuck to the Mendelssohn C minor but i dont quite like it. It's a bit "restless" for me. Then i suggested the Dumky Trio of Dvorak but the other two just don't like it. So we're stuck. I am also in another chamber group playing the Messiaen Quartet for the End of time. A bloody difficult piece! Well if any of you have any suggestions on Piano Trios it would great. And please try avoid the overplayed ones like...well like the Dumky!

[rodrk352]

     First of all, the Messiaen Quartet For the End of Time seems to be making the rounds everywhere. It has been performed twice here during the past year. It was composed in a Nazi concentration camp. (Messiaen was a POW.)
     The Mendelssohn and Dvorak's Dumky are good choices too.
     The Tchaikovsky trio is great.
     But when I think of wonderful trios, my first choice would be Beethoven's amazing Geister Trio. Would you consider it overplayed? Been a while seen I've heard it.

[shasta]

Hi Frederic, check out this recent link on piano trios:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,6633.0.html

You may also want to try doing a PF search on "chamber music" or "quartets."

[ralessi]

Might i recommend the Mendelssohn D minor.  I personally think it is much more exciting on the piano part than the other Mendelssohn Trio!  I am currently working on it with my trio and although learning the notes isnt hard. GETTING IT UP TO SPEED IS HELLLLLLL! It just keeps GOING AND GOING AND GOING AND GOING! anyways, just a suggestion!

Cheers,
       Ricky

[jim_24601]

It so happens that I've been asked to play the Mendelssohn D minor trio - a friend who plays the cello has got wind of my having bought a digital and getting back into piano playing in a serious way. I don't know the piece, so I'm holding off on accepting till I get a look at the music. She claims it's about Grade 8 standard but I'm not sure I believe her 

[shasta]

The Mendelssohn D minor is the greatest piece of music ever written.  Ever.

*waits for Hodi to swing*
 

[xvimbi]

I just recently heard the Ravel Piano Trio. Amazing piece, but nothing for the faint-hearted, because all three instruments have extremely virtuosic stuff to play. I don't think it gets more challenging than this one.

[Lance Morrison]

my favourite such works are Webern's op. 7 and op. 11.....such concision

[dinosaurtales]

I have discovered that most of the chamber literature is hard as hell.  I may never get to play one - I am in some kind of desert here in Oregon where strings are concerned - but the Smetana is fabulous - but really nasty!  He wrote it after his 4-year old daughter died, and it really pulls at you!
Doesn't get played often , either.

Another one that is cool and not so often played is the Arensky - I haven't looked at the score, but my guess it's difficult.  You are sooo lucky to be in a trio.  I am jealous.

[DarkWind]

I just recently heard the Ravel Piano Trio. Amazing piece, but nothing for the faint-hearted, because all three instruments have extremely virtuosic stuff to play. I don't think it gets more challenging than this one.

Go with the Ravel! If you're learning the Quartet for the End of Time, you should be able to manage the Ravel trio. It's so beautiful. Either that, or look around for some Martinu Piano Trios. I'm sure he wrote a few.

[frederic]

haha thanks guys its all great! Yea about the Ravel. It's absolutely fantastic and it was actually my first choice but the string players said they were gonna kill me if we did it...well before the piece kills all of us! wow it seems like lots of you really like the mendelssohn d minor. My trio is entering a national competition so its better if we don't do that one. Way too over played. We have considered the Ghost Trio, if thats the piece you're talking about, rodrk352. We came to the conclusion that it is in fact played too often as well. The Tchaikovsky is good but wouldn't you consider that a piano concerto with string accompaniment too, like the Chopin Trio? lol. There's just so much chamber music out there!

[fnork]

the tschaikovsky trio is a piano concerto? I've never heard anyone say that before... it's certainly not true.

[jim_24601]

I found a midi of the Mendelssohn D minor trio that you can download, listened to it, and phoned my cellist. "You're having a laugh, there's no way that's Grade 8! It's way harder than that!" She claims to know somebody who got a plain pass at Grade 8 and could play it, but when pressed admitted that she "had to practise" No, really?

I'm not saying I can't play it, mind, but I'm not going to be learning it in a couple of weeks! I'm hoping to pick up the music tonight so I can see what I'm really up against.