Presents
Carl Reinecke
Piano Trio No.1 in A Major, Op.38
It would not be inappropriate to call Reinecke's Piano Trio No.1 in A Major, which dates from 1851, Mendelssohn's third piano trio, for certainly the ghost of Mendelssohn, who had died some four years earlier, hovers over this fine work which Reinecke dedicated to his close friend and mentor Robert Schumann. Schumann used to like to joke and tell people, "Oh, Reinecke, he knows what I am going to write before I do." Perhaps the main difference between this trio and the two Mendelssohn penned has to do with moods conveyed by the music. Mendelssohn's both in the minor are brooding somewhat dark, while Reinecke's trio is upbeat from start to finish. The opening movement to the trio begins with a lovely, singing, Lento introduction which leads to the main section, a flowing and geinal Allegro ma non troppo. The second movement, Andante, is a beautiful, yearning song without words. Next comes a lively, bright Scherzo, vivace ma non troppo. The finale, Allegro brillante, is a jovial, celebratory romp.
Carl Reinecke (1810-1924)was born near Hamburg in the town of Altona, then in the possession of Denmark. Most of his musical training was obtained from his father, a respected teacher and author. Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt all were favorably impressed by him. Unlike many of his contemporaries, or even some of those composers who were younger such as Bruch, Reinecke was able to move beyond the music of Mendelssohn and Schumann, the musical idols of the mid 19 Century. Nowadays, Reinecke has been all but forgotten, an unjust fate for a man who excelled in virtually every musical field with which he was involved. Widely considered one of the finest concert pianists before the public for more than 30 years, his contemporaries also held him high regard as a composer. If this were not enough, he was a stellar conductor, who turned the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra into the leading orchestra of its day. Director of the famed Leipzig Conservatory, as a teacher of composition and of piano, he was considered to have few if any equals. Among his many students were Grieg, Bruch, Janacek, Albeniz, Sinding, Svendsen, Reznicek, Delius, Arthur Sullivan, George Chadwick, Ethel Smyth, Felix Weingartner, Karl Muck and Hugo Riemann. In his time, Reinecke and his music were unquestionably regarded as first rate.
This tuneful work would do well in concert and offers amateur music makers a good opportunity to play a very appealing work Long out of print, we are very pleased to be able to make this fine work available again.
Parts: $29.95
