Presents
Robert Kahn
Piano Trio No.3 in c minor, Op.35
"Kahn’s Piano Trio No.3 in c minor was published in 1902. It is concise in form. The first movement, Moderato, begins with a solemn, elegiac introduction and leads to the main section, Allegro energetico. Its excellent main theme impresses by virtue of its sharp rhythmic passages. The second movement, Allegro moderato, has a quicker middle section. It comes close but is not quite a scherzo. The music has a ghostly quality and is full of spirited ideas. In some ways, the music reminds one of a similar movement in Beethoven's Op.70 No.2 Ghost Trio. The finale begins with a long, captivating, melodic introduction. which slowly by stages leads to the attractive main section, Allegro appassionato." ---Wilhelm Altmann writing in his Handbook for Piano Trio Players.
Robert Kahn (1865-1951) was born in Mannheim of a well-to-do banking family. He began his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. There, he got to know and became friends with Joseph Joachim who was the director. It was through both Joachim and his own family that he had a chance to get to know Brahms, who was so impressed with Kahn that he offered to give him composition lessons. However, Kahn was too overawed to accept. Nevertheless, Brahms did help Kahn informally, and while Kahn's work does, to some extent, show the influence of Brahms, he is an eclectic and independent composer whose music has its own originality. After finishing his studies in Berlin, Kahn, on Brahms' suggestion, went to Munich to study with Joseph Rheinberger. After completing his own studies, he worked for a while as a free lance composer before obtaining a position at the Hochschule in Berlin where he eventually became a professor of piano and composition.
This is another fine piano trio which deserves to be heard in concert. And Kahn's chamber music is never beyond the reach of amateurs, who will surely get pleasure from it. Long out of print, we are pleased to be able to reintroduce this very fine and appealing piano trio.
Parts: $29.95
