Schubert, Arensky, Tchaikovsky

Franz Schubert
Sonata in A minor for Viola and Piano, D. 821, “Arpeggione” (1824)

Anton Arensky
Quartet in A minor for Violin, Viola, and Two Cellos, Op. 35 (1894)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 (1882)

Featured Musicians:

Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Dimitri Murrath, viola
Raman Ramakrishnan & Audrey Chen, cello
Max Levinson, piano

The instrument for which Franz Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata was written is a six-stringed, bowed, guitar-like instrument. Now heard almost solely in transcriptions for various instruments with piano, the sonata proves to be a difficult challenge for any player, rich with moments of heartfelt lyricism and carefree energy.

Anton Arensky’s Quartet in A minor was dedicated to the memory of his dear friend and mentor Tchaikovsky. By choosing to use two cellos as opposed to the standard string quartet combination, Arensky added a somber depth to the sonority, perhaps to convey his sadness over the loss of his friend.

Following Arensky’s tribute, we hear from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky himself in a tribute to his friend Nikolai Rubinstein, one of Russia’s foremost pianists. Mournful yet heroic, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor requires stamina and takes the listener through symphonic textures.