W.W. Cobbett, at a lecture given at the Royal
Academy of Music, wrote that “Mr. Bridge’s Trio is of
a remarkable beauty and brilliance and stamps him as one of
our foremost composers for the chamber.” He concluded his comments
by noting that this had a “…lavishness to which I can recall
few precedents, he has provided thematic material more than
sufficient for a lengthy work in sonata form.”
This above-mentioned Phantasy Trio was
the winner of the 1907 Cobbett competition. The promoter had
called for composers to write a “short Phantasy in the form
of a piano trio.” Bridge secured a prize of £50 and a premiere
performance, which took place on 27 April 1909 under the auspices
of the London Piano Trio.
This Trio is written in the form of an
arch – with the single movement ‘Phantasy’ form encompassing
a sonata-style exposition and recapitulation alongside a slow
section and an ‘allegro scherzoso’. The programme notes give
an excellent analysis of the work which the listener ought to
peruse before listening to this piece. This is a ‘sunshine’
work that sparkles from the first bar to the last. There are
serious moments in this piece, but typically it lacks any of
the angst or despair that was to inform Frank Bridge’s post-war
music.
I have always felt that the Piano Trio No.2
is not an easy work to approach. It would certainly not be on
my list of pieces intended to introduce a newcomer to the music
of Frank Bridge. Even for listeners who know Rosemary, Cherry Ripe
and The Sea this music will appear difficult,
disjointed and perhaps even distant. The Second Piano Trio inhabits
a world far removed from the salon music and orchestral tone
poems of the composer’s Edwardian period. Yet, many commentators
insist that it is Bridge’s chamber music masterpiece: this is
a view held by Anthony Payne the composer’s advocate and biographer.
I recently reviewed this piece on Lyrita
and commented that although I felt that it is a great work (my
head) I knew that I would rather listen to the earlier chamber
works for “sheer indulgence and enjoyment” (my heart). Yet it
imposes and impresses itself on the listener with repeated hearings:
it is a piece that has to be worked at by the auditor. I felt
at the time of the Lyrita review that this work was beginning
to reveal some of its ‘secrets and beauties’ to me. Perhaps
this present recording has allowed additional elements of this
complex piece to fall into place? One of the reasons I like
the ‘early’ chamber work is the sheer ‘English’ quality of much
of the writing - not in any ‘cow-and-gate’ sense of the word
but in feeling and emotion. However there is nothing parochial
about the work: it is European and owes much to contemporary
developments on the Continent – especially the Second Viennese
School of Berg and Schoenberg. Nevertheless, Bridge has not
used any particular formula to write this work – he has breathed
his own ideas into a certain prevalent sound-world intimations
of which were blowing across the English Channel. In so far
as this was the case he created something both convincing and
impressive.
As far as I can divine there is no other currently
available complete recording of the Nine Miniatures
for Trio. These short pieces are not fundamental to the
canon of works by Frank Bridge. Yet in many ways they offer
an entertaining introduction to his lighter works, and more
importantly, his chamber music. They were originally composed
for one of the composer’s violin pupils, a certain Betty Hanbury
and for her sister Helen who was a cellist. And finally another
sister, Patricia, made it a family affair.
Each ‘group’ has three contrasting movements
which explore a wide range of musical activity - from a March
militaire to an attractive Romance. These are not
necessarily easy works to play, but are well-crafted and grateful
to young and amateur musicians. Bridge does not write ‘down’
to his potential performers: these are not patronising. In fact
each of them is often quite beautiful, invariably interesting
to play and enjoyable to hear. Professor Renz Oplis has written
in The Chamber Music Journal that the “Miniatures … ought not
to be dismissed as inconsequential student works suitable for
neither amateur nor professional. On the contrary, any one of
these tonally diverse and brilliantly written cameos would serve
as a superb encore for a professional piano trio while amateurs
will spend many a happy hour with these delightful works."
And finally, these short works should be listened to individually
and not as a group of ‘nine’.
I am totally impressed by the quality of the
playing on this disc. Ashley Wass has recently established himself
as one of the ‘Bridge’ aficionados … along with Mark Bebbington
and Peter Jacobs. The sound is perfect which allows the listener
the opportunity to hear these works in the best possible environment.
John France
Bridge Trios – comparative versions
Piano Trios by Dartington Trio (Hyperion)
Piano Trios by Dussek Trio (Meridian)
Piano Trios by Bernard Roberts Trio (Black Box)
Jack Liebeck (violin);
Alexander Chaushian (cello); Ashley Wass (piano) 
