Presents
Ignaz Moscheles
Piano Trio in c minor, Op.84-New Edition
Ignaz Moscheles' Piano Trio in c minor, Op.84 was composed in 1830. Robert Schumann, reviewing it for the prestigious Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, hailed it as an outstanding work. And not without good reason. Superb and lovely melodies for all 3 voices are found in the opening Allegro con spirito, a huge movement nearly as long as the rest of the trio. There is, as one might expect from a pianist of Moscheles stature, some very fine writing for piano, which must have been characteristic of his technique, but there is also very fine writing for the strings as well. The piano, in contrast to the efforts of so many other piano virtuosi, does not dominate. The lovely Adagio which follows again keeps the parts in balance and while the piano does receive the occasional florid run, it is more in the tradition of Beethoven rather than Mendelssohn. Most original of the four movements is the short but unusual Scherzo alla Scozzese: Presto, leggiero e ben staccato. Scozzeses one finds in Beethoven and elsewhere, but they are invariably slow, but here we have a real Scottish scherzo! It’s very clever and quite effective. In the appealing finale, Allegretto grazioso, the piano “escapes” once or twice but no more than in Mendelssohn. Here and there we here echoes of his friend Beethoven. All in all, one can see why Schumann, also Moscheles friend, was enthusiastic—it was because of the music and not the man. This trio deserves to be revived.
Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) was born in Prague. One of the top piano virtuosi of the first part of the 19th century, he first studied piano at the Prague Conservatory with Bedrich Weber and later in London with Muzio Clementi. He also studied composition, but in Vienna with Albrechtsberger and Salieri. Besides his career as a touring soloist, he was also a renown teacher, Mendelssohn being one of his many students, and an esteemed composer. He was a friend of Mendelssohn and of Beethoven who admired his works and was also on friendly terms with Schumann and several other important musicians of the day. And was himself one of the most prominent musicians of that era.
Parts: $34.95
