Unsung Trios for Piano, Viola, and 'X'

Started by saxtromba, Monday 24 October 2011, 23:51

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saxtromba

Even apart from standard piano trios, there are many trios for violin, piano, and this, that, or the other intrument (violoncello or clarinet, e.g.).  Ditto violoncello and piano.  But the viola doesn't really start to show up until piano quartets, etc.  So I'm wondering what good original pieces (not arrangements, however well done) for viola, piano, and [any third instrument] people here would recommend.  Suggestions?

eschiss1

Mozart- Kegelstatt trio (clarinet, viola and piano is the primary combination, though there are alternates. Lovely piece - if by chance you don't know it, I recommend it :) The clarinet is perhaps the star but the viola gets plenty of time to duskily shine... the second movement's "tone" is very viola, I think ).
Robert Fuchs' trio for violin, viola and piano (his 3rd piano trio) can be heard online in a performance at IMSLP. (Also on the site are some other trios for that combination or which have been arranged for it - see http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:For_violin,_viola,_piano - but few that I've heard. One is by Georges Migot. I hear good things about Ignaz Lachner's several trios though.) There is also a trio (with two movements in sound and with score and parts) by Willy Ostijn (1913-93, modern neo-Romantic- well, more Romantic than neo- ! ) for flute, viola and piano at the same site.)

Several of Philipp Scharwenka's trios are for this combination (Sibley will be digitizing one soon I think...)
And how could I forget particularly? Max Reger, piano trio no.1 in B minor, op.2, for violin, viola and piano. (Big fan of Reger too, here. Though works before op.45-ish or so, like this, are not "characteristic Reger"* in the rapid-harmonic-change sense - maybe just in other senses as much as can be for a rather early work.)

-Eric, ex-violist (ex, from lack of ability, not from any lack of fondness for first of the new-fangled stringed instruments, possibly older but less-respected brother to that "violin" fellow...! )

*kindly allow me to hate this phrase (except when actually well-used, which is rarely enough), which pretends to reduce a composer to one, copyable, characteristic. Fah.

alberto

Still clarinet, viola and piano.
Relatively sung (at least recorded) the four "Fairy tales" op.132 by Robert Schumann.
At least sometimes recorded the eight Pieces op.83 by Max Bruch.
I have a Bongiovanni record (GB 5537-2) of the Reinecke Trio in A op.264 (played by a "Reinecke Trio").
There is a Trio in E flat by Julius Roentgen.

eschiss1

although giving a long list of works again most of which I haven't heard and some of which are arranged from their original instrumentation (many not by their composers) another link I recommend having a look at if I may do so is

http://imslp.org/index.php?title=Category:Trios&intersect=Scores_featuring_the_viola
(a list of trios on that site that have violas - some are string trios but some are piano trios with viola. To restrict to piano trios with violas in them the link might look more like this...
http://imslp.org/wiki/Special:CategoryWalker/Trios**Scores_featuring_the_piano**Scores_featuring_the_viola/ -
scores with viola and piano in them (trios, restrict to scores with piano, restrict again to scores with viola. The "category walker" on that site is a nice tool. 39 pages remain, but might be worth a look... of them some (4) are originally for violin, cello and piano, 1 is for 2 violins and piano, etc., can ignore or "exclude" those, 3 are for flute, viola and piano, 1 is for viola, cello and piano (arrangement of Brahms' clarinet trio- but a genre it might be worth augmenting?), there's also Ruthardt's trio for oboe, viola and piano (published 1890- maybe worth a look?
http://imslp.org/wiki/Trio_for_Piano,_Oboe_and_Viola,_Op.34_(Ruthardt,_Adolf)
- etc.

Gareth Vaughan

Roger Sacheverell Coke: Trio for Flute, viola and piano "The Ortina". MS exists only in photocopy, which I have - formerly in possession of the composer's nephew. Original missing. Have made sure a photocopy of my copy is in the archive in Chesterfield.

dax

An excellent work by Hindemith - trio for heckelphone (or tenor sax), viola and piano.

nigelkeay

There's Four Poems for Mezzo soprano, Viola, and Piano, Op. 5 by C.M. Loeffler. I discovered them a couple of years back and would give them a strong recommendation. Loeffler also has a something for oboe, viola and piano but I don't know it.