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postcards
in e ANTONIN
DVORAK
Piano Trio in E minor, Op.90 "Dumky"
DMITRI
SHOSTAKOVICH
Piano Trio in E minor, Op.67
THE MERLING
TRIO
Renata
Artman Knific violin
Bruce
Uchimura cello
Susan
Wiersma Uchimura piano
$14.95 ~ MS1319
"The
Merling Trio deliver a precise and yet fluent rendition of [the Dumky Trio]. A
perfect example of this occurs during the first ‘Dumky’ when a lively polka
emerges from the mournful opening. The trio carry us effortlessly through these
rapidly changing emotions whilst elegantly capturing the romance behind each
movement... The Merling Trio
produce a compelling and moving recording [of the Shostakovich]... often
in other performances the more joyful memories have remained somewhat hidden
within the cloying tragedy behind its inspiration. This is not so apparent on
this recording and the result is a thought provoking rendition that builds
towards a finale that shifts between the macabre and onwards towards feelings of
hope and potential liberation... [an] excellent release and one that is highly
recommended
."
Jeff
Perkins, BlogCritics ~ July 2009
"Postcards
in e is the title of an attractive offering by the Merling Trio of famous works
by Dvořák and Shostakovich. In this program the Merling show the primary
quality that distinguishes their art, which the American Record Guide aptly
described as 'a properly stylistic balance between abandon and control.' On
my first audition of Dvořák's
“Dumky” Trio in e Minor, Op. 90, I was struck more by the control factor, a
passion for precision which enables these artists to bring out many choice
points in this well-loved work. The beautiful tone the Merlings cultivate
throughout the Trio makes it an easy winner.
...there is an
awful lot of playful, witty music in [Shostakovich's
Piano Trio]
and the Merlings show a quick aptitude for it... I had not noticed this playful
element in other recordings. Curiously, it makes this performance
even more compelling than it might have been otherwise."
Atlanta
Audio Society, January 2009
“The
players shaped a grand interpretation, fluent in rhythm and rich in romantic
feeling.” —The Plain Dealer
[Cleveland]
“The
trio…delivered a standard of playing that is on par with some of the best
known violin-cello-piano teams, captivating the audience through the immediacy
and extraordinary sensitivity of its playing.” —Grand
Rapids Press
“[The
Merling Trio] made a powerful impression, with unabashed romanticism and
finesse.” —Musical Opinion
[London]
*
* *
DVORÁK:
Piano Trio in E minor, Op.90 “Dumky”
“Dumky”
is not a nickname, but the plural form of a “dumka”, a musical genre derived
from Slavic folk tradition. In the nineteenth century, the dumka came to be
known as a sung lament, and later, an instrumental piece of thoughtful, usually
melancholy, character. Dvoˇrák’s trio, composed in 1891, is a series of
six dumky whose prevailing plaintiveness is occasionally interrupted by livelier
music, but never totally dispelled. Though the set is not really unified by key
or theme, the first three dumka are somewhat interrelated and played without a
break. The first and second each have a slow section followed by a faster one;
the third is in three sections carrying a basic theme through a number of
variations and mood changes.
The fourth dumka has a primary cello
theme which appears four times, interrupted twice by a related scherzando
theme in the piano, and the third time by a lively dance motif. The fifth is
least like a dumka in that its quickness and agitated rhythm continue almost
unabated. The sixth opens with a beautiful section marked “Lento maestoso,”
and later, a violin melody on the G string is particularly noteworthy.
SHOSTAKOVICH:
Piano Trio in E minor, Op.67
Shostakovich
composed this trio in 1944 as a memorial to his close friend, the renowned music
critic and writer Ivan Sollertinsky, who died in a Nazi concentration camp
earlier that year. Pervaded by a sorrowful expressiveness, the work may be
described as a lament, not just for Sollertinsky, but for the entire Soviet
nation, mired in the darkest days of the Second World War. The first movement
opens with a quiet introduction. The mournful main theme is sounded first in the
high harmonics of the cello. A powerful forward drive marks this movement, whose
content is based primarily upon material derived from the main theme. The second
movement is a brisk and rhythmic scherzo, reminiscent of a peasant dance and
punctuated with occasional harsh dissonances. The third movement is a chaconne
or passacaglia, being based on a theme that continues throughout. The piano
repeats a chorale-like theme of eight chords that serves as background for a
lament between the violin and cello. The music then shifts to the lively finale,
where angular themes and pizzicato playing add to a macabre “dance of death”
effect. After a climax of these ideas, the introductory theme of the first
movement appears, followed by a return of the finale theme, and finally the
passacaglia from the third movement.
www.merlingtrio.com
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The Merling Trio is recognized as
one of today’s premier ensembles. A truly international trio, it brings
together musicians from Polish, Japanese, and Dutch backgrounds. The Merling
Trio has been hailed as a brilliantly distinguished group endowed with
remarkable gifts of communication, magnificent precision, and an impeccable
blend of sound. The trio made its New York debut in Weill Recital Hall at
Carnegie Hall in 1993, and was named a finalist for the Naumburg Foundation
Chamber Music Award in 1994.
The Merling Trio has given
numerous recitals throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Members of
the Trio have performed with orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra,
the Honolulu Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Concerto
Soloists of Philadelphia, and the South Carolina Philharmonic, under the baton
of such notable conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Simon Rattle, and Christoph
Eschenbach. Recent trio performances include concerts for the Lagerstrom
Concerts Series at Caltech, the Texas Friends of Chamber Music Series, the Jewel
Box Series in Chicago, the Charleston Chamber Music Society, Merkin Hall, and
the Antioch College Professional Piano Series.
Several contemporary composers
have written works for the Merling Trio, and in 1993, they commissioned and
premiered C. Curtis-Smith’s Second Piano Trio. In February 1998, the trio
returned to Carnegie Hall for a sold-out performance of a new work by Terry
Winter- Owens, commissioned by the Merling
Trio with a Commissioning Grant from the American Composers Forum. In 2003, the
trio premiered Frank Proto’s Quartet for Piano and Strings with bassist Tom
Knific at St. John’s Smith Square in London, England. Performances by the
Merling Trio have been broadcast widely on television and radio, including WNYC,
WFMT 98.7 in Chicago, Interlochen Public Radio, and Peachstate Radio.
In residence at the School of
Music at Western Michigan University, members of the trio are also faculty
members at the Schlern International Music Festival and the ENCORE School for
Strings. Renowned educators, their students hold positions in major orchestras
and chamber ensembles throughout the world. Festival appearances include the
Banff Centre for the Arts, the Pensacola Summer Music Festival, the Skaneateles
Festival, the Saugatuck Chamber Music Festival, and the Fontana Festival of Art
and Music. Recent educational outreach activities include performances and
master classes for the California Music Teachers Association, the Music Teachers
National Association, the Hawaii International Arts and Humanities Conference,
and the American String Teachers Association National Conference.
The Merling Trio has released a
number of critically-acclaimed recordings. Their first CD, a collaboration with
conductor Dennis Russell Davies, featured works of C. Curtis-Smith and was
released by Albany Records in 1995. About the CD, Fanfare wrote, “The composer
could not ask for better interpreters.” Piano
Trio Classics included works by Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, and Liszt and
was released by Pamplin Records in 2001. About Centaur Records’ 2006 release
of the trio’s recording of works by Piazzolla
and Proto, the American Record Guide said, “The Merlings play with a properly
stylistic balance between abandon and control. This is an unusual and
beautifully played program.”
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