Program:
Schubert/Piano Trio in B-flat major, D. 898
Schubert/Piano Trio in E-flat major, D. 929
The Vienna Piano Trio makes its Cal Performances debut in a rare—and final—West Coast appearance as part of its farewell tour, offering Berkeley audiences a look into Schubert’s chamber music, performing the composer’s two piano trios back-to-back. The B-flat Trio is a lively and lyrical work, among the most revered chamber pieces in the repertoire; the E-flat Trio traverses darker and more ominous terrain. Both works were composed in 1827, a year before Schubert’s death at 31. The Vienna Piano Trio was founded in 1988 by the Viennese pianist Stefan Mendl. His partners are the Californian violinist David McCarroll, a member of the trio since 2015, and the Austrian cellist Clemens Hagen, who joined in 2018.
