Kagel’s First Piano Trio,
composed in 1985, pays oblique homage to the Romantic tradition:
Brahms, Schumann and Schubert come to mind. Of course, as
is often the case with Kagel’s music, things are not necessarily
simple or straightforward, although – remarkably enough – he
managed to keep parody or pastiche at bay. The First Piano
Trio may be one of his most classically conceived pieces.
The first movement opens with a Schubertian gesture of beautiful
simplicity and considerable restraint. The music weaves a
web of tonal allusions, although pure tonality as such is
never a goal in itself nor strongly asserted. Indeed, tonal
ambiguity prevails throughout. The second movement opens
like a furious Scherzo, with forcefully hammered-out piano
chords, but the music changes dramatically in a series of
short episodes of varied character, in turn almost static
and sharply articulated. The third movement, opens in a simple
way, much like the first. The music, becomes more animated,
and sounds as if building-up to a mighty climax that it does
not achieve. Rather it moves into still other directions
with unpredictability and without any apparent logic. “One
might compare the (first) piano trio with a polyphonic structure
of character pieces that return again and again, follow one
another, break off abruptly, rise quickly from the background
to the surface and slowly disappear.” (the composer’s words).
Written
some fifteen years later, the Second Piano Trio is quite
different in structure and overall mood. It is in one large-scale
single movement opening with hollow, ghastly sounds in slow
march tempo. This creates an ominous, eerie mood constantly
torn apart by abrupt, volatile interjections. The slow, heavy
march tempo, predominates and is sustained throughout in
spite of the many asides briefly creating new perspectives,
sometimes tinged with bitter irony. The whole piece unfolds
in a surreal, ghost-like atmosphere, with many brief and
abrupt changes of mood. The global impression is of utter
sadness and desolation. After completing the piece, Kagel
received a phone call telling him of the tragic events of
September 11, 2001 of which the music almost sounds as a
premonition.
Do
not ask me why, but I have long had the impression that Kagel’s
music was not for me; a prejudice defying any logical explanation,
I know. However, I have been able to review a few recent
discs with some of his pieces, which I have found quite fine.
His piano trios belong to his most readily accessible works,
probably because they are fairly traditional, in Kagel’s
personal way. Most importantly they are strongly expressive,
utterly serious and deeply honest. This does not mean that
I am now an unconditional fan, but I have come to the conclusion
that some of it is certainly worth more than the occasional
hearing.
Schnittke’s Piano
Trio (1992) is the third version of the Trio-Sonata for
string trio commissioned by the Alban-Berg Gesellschaft
to commemorate Berg’s 100th anniversary. Some
may know the second version as the Trio-Sonata for
chamber orchestra made in 1987, and available on BIS
CD-537. It is in two movements of broadly equal length,
but of contrasted character, the first movement being
a slow waltz with varying tempi and the second a long
elegiac song. It is a piece in which Schnittke steers
clear of polystylism, and is often of deceptive simplicity.
The music is tightly worked-out from two cells heard
at the outset of the first movement. It avoids any allusion
to or quotation from Berg’s music. This, too, is an utterly
serious piece, characterised by understatement and introspection.
These
serious, often austere works receive superbly poised readings
that have the full measure of the music’s undemonstrative
eloquence. Some may find the oppressive and desolate mood
a bit too much to swallow in one sitting, but listening to
each at intervals cannot fail to bring out the expressive
power of this often gripping music. A really fine release
that should not be missed.
Hubert
Culot
Liszt-Trio
Weimar (Andreas Lehmann, violin; Tim Stolzenburg, cello;
Christian Wilm Müller, piano) 
