K3 Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. Messiaen. Franck

Our joint chamber concert with cellist Teodor Brcko and pianist Slávka Vernerová is framed by two romantic compositions written in the same year - 1839. However, while César Franck's Piano Trio in F sharp minor was the first work of a composer who was only eighteen years old, Mendelssohn composed his Piano Trio in D minor at the ripe age of thirty. Schumann wrote of this ornate, thoroughly romantic work: "It will endure for ages and will be enjoyed by grandchildren and great-grandchildren alike."

César Franck, on the other hand, offers entirely new music. Someone commented on the work on YouTube, "Listening to this trio will make more than a year at university," which amused me and I think is the holy truth. For me personally, this trio is an absolute work of genius. The more I listen to it, the more I realize its incredibility. The entire piece is based on two themes that are intertwined throughout the movements. Beautiful music, a bit spooky at times!

In the middle of our evening, Toru Takemitsu's Between Tides slightly loosens up the program. It contains the cryptogram SEA and the title of the beautiful melody from the second movement of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet at the End of Time. And I imagine a calm ocean and all those currents intertwining...

Hana Kubisová