Antje Weithaas, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker & Martin Helmchen

Thrilling to the last note - Composing a piano trio? Oh no, "that's beyond me. The thing is, because of the nature of my hearing, I can't tolerate the combination of piano with violin or violoncello solo at all. The mere memory of the sound of a trio simply causes me physical discomfort." Astonishing words, from the very composer from whose pen the most extensive piano trio of his time was to flow less than two years later! The birth of Tchaikovsky's Trio op. 50 required a compelling reason, which lay in a painful personal loss: After the death of his close friend Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky threw himself into a composition of unprecedented dimensions that did justice to "the memory of a great artist", not least through its almost symphonic ambition.

Tchaikovsky would probably have given up his refusal earlier if he had had the ensemble of Antje Weithaas, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and Martin Helmchen in front of him. The trio of three orchestral musicians "is so perfectly attuned that it acts with lightning speed and emphasizes the finest contrasts. The frequent alternation between energetic drama and lyrical expression through sudden withdrawals is so dynamic that the interpretations keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last note." (Lippisches Kultur-Journal) The skill with which the three soloistically celebrated greats amalgamate their personalities into a chamber music unit also promises to make Schubert's Piano Trio in B flat major an experience: although ill and almost penniless, the then underestimated genius still invented a masterpiece peppered with melodic ideas, compositional surprises and lyrical moments of paradise.

Program:
Schubert, Piano Trio in B flat major D 898
Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor op. 50

Antje Weithaas, violin
Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, violoncello
Martin Helmchen, piano

EUR 59,- / 47,- / 34,- incl. fees. fees

Antje Weithaas | photo © Marco Borggreve, Martin Helmchen | photo © Ole Schwarz, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker | photo © Ole Schwarz