János Mátyás Stark, Gergely Devich & Fülöp Ránki Chamber Recital Presented by Liszt Academy

Johannes Brahms composed the original version of his Piano Trio No. 1 in 1854, when he was just twenty years old. Camille Saint-Saëns, only two years younger than Brahms, completed his Piano Trio No. 2 in 1892, at the age of fifty-seven. Although the French composer was twice as old as his German contemporary and lived in an era that saw tremendous musical change over nearly forty years, he wrote his piano trio in almost the same romantic spirit as the young Brahms. The Piano Trio in E minor has five movements and the first and fifth are expansive. The second features an asymmetrical 5/8 time signature, the third unfolds with lyrical grace, and the fourth introduces a refined waltz. In 1889, Brahms thoroughly revised his work, especially the first, third, and fourth movements, but preserved the tone of voice. Brahms alternates between B major and B minor from movement to movement: while the opening movement unfolds in major, the finale closes in minor. In this concert, the audience will ultimately hear two works published almost simultaneously and written by two composers who lived in the same period.