Camille Saint-Saëns was a child prodigy, a master of the craft of composition, and was called “the greatest organist in the world” by Franz Liszt.  The ease with which Saint-Saëns traveled the musical landscape was unparalleled, and allowed him to produce music, such as his Trio No. 1 in F Major, graced with charm, wit, and sophisticated form—even if great emotional depth was mostly beyond his reach.  Robert Schumann, on the other hand, struggled with his instrument, with his craft, with his career choices and even his sanity.  Yet, through these struggles, he was able to create some of the most intense and profound music of the 19^th century, including his Piano Trio #1 in D minor.  Meanwhile, Dmitri Shostakovich possessed both the skill and the depth of feeling to create important and lasting works, but he struggled against a musical bureaucracy that might kill him if his compositions did not reflect party ideology.  His Piano Trio in E minor is a chameleon of propaganda, personal grief and double meaning.

——

Works to be performed on the “Struggle and Ease” program include:

Robert Schumann, Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 63
Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 67
Camille Saint-Saëns, Piano Trio in F Major, Op. 18