Album Description
Since its inception over a decade ago, the Escher Trio has become known for its energized style and daring programming. Although it has performed virtually all of the piano trio literature of the last three centuries, the group is constantly searching for new possibilities and developments and has commissioned several new works over the years.
The trio has been acclaimed during its many successful international tours, and over this period has been invited to perform in masterclasses given by musicians such as Mstislav Rostropovich and Isaac Stern.
The two works on this new release were both written around the turn of the 20th century. The Russian composer Anton Arensky wrote two symphonies and three operas, but his most celebrated composition is this D minor piano trio.
Arensky's greatest influence was Tchaikovsky, and it is no surprise then that his music often draws its inspiration from the more traditional, folk elements of his homeland. Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a child prodigy in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century, during which time he wrote his Opus 1 trio before his 13th birthday. The composer was later to make his mark in Hollywood where he wrote the scores for some 19 films, including the Errol Flynn classic The Adventures of Robin Hood.