WEEK OF 080609 PLAYLIST: RACHMANINOV / TCHAIKOVSKY / SCHUMANN / BRAHMS
Rachmaninov: Trio Elegiaque 2
(written, as a young adult, in response to the death of Tchaikovsky)
I think I prefer the first trio elegiaque, but this one is quite nice too. I feel like I need to listen to them both side by side again, for another week, but I have so many things to try out before I can start repeating pieces!!
Tchaikovsky: Op.50, Piano Trio in A minor
The first movement is quite sad, sinister, frantic; typical late-Tchaikovsky, and suits my major interest in classical music. The second movement is lighter, but a set of variations, which is largely my only other interest in classical music. This is a nice piece, but it's a bit triumphant at times, and that breaks up the mood of imminence of death that surrounds the concept of the work, "In Memory of a Great Artist" (Nikolai Rubinstein).
Brahms: Op.34, Piano Quintet
(I heard this played by Classical Revolution for free, in some person's living room, this past weekend, as a part of MAPP.) Someone on Wikipedia said that this is one of the three most excellent piano quintets by any composer, which is an opinion and also a statement that means little (for I cannot accept, in our postmodern age, that there is anything particular about a title such as "piano quintet" that merits the measure of one quintet versus another). I think the piece is a joy to listen to, but I found myself skipping over it to hear the Trio Elegiaque and Tchaikovsky trios more often.