Presents
Fernand de La Tombelle
Piano Trio in a minor, Op.35
Fernand de La Tombelle's Piano Trio in a minor, Op.35 dates from 1894. The big opening Allegro is definitely French, showing as it does the influence of his teacher Dubois but also of his friend Vincent d’Indy. It is fluid, the themes full of yearning, but there are also hints of Schumann which makes for an interesting mix. A dreamy, somewhat sad Lento follows. The short third movement is a nervous Allegretto scherzando, not really an allegretto at all but an allegro. The exciting finale, an Allegro vivace, owes more to the tradition of Schumann than to his French cohorts. An excellent work, really a masterwork, which belongs in the repertoire and on the concert stage. It is not beyond competent amateurs.
Tombelle won prestigious Chartier Prize for an outstanding chamber music in 1896 in part for this piano trio. Born in Paris, Fernand de La Tombelle (1854-1928) studied piano with his mother who had been a student of Liszt and Thalberg. He also studied organ with the famous French organ virtuoso Alexandre Guilmant. .At the Paris Conservatory he studied composition with Theodore Dubois and organ with Guilmant. Subsequently, he became a well-known organist in Paris. He was, along with Vincent d’Indy, Guilmant and Charles Bordes, one of the founders of the Schola Cantorum, France’s other great conservatory. He taught there for many years. He wrote in most genres. In addition to this piano trio he also composed a piano quartet and a string quartet.
Long out of print, we warmly recommend this fine piano trio and are sure it will win high praise from audiences lucky enough to hear it performed.
Parts: $29.95
