FORTE TRIO: «Chamber music masterpieces»

15 December The State Academic Philharmonic Society named after E. E. Kuznetsov. Е. Rakhmadiev presents a concert«Chamber music masterpieces». In the chamber hall of the Philharmonic Society at 29 Abay Ave. will perform the famous chamber-instrumental ensemble of Kazakhstan «FORTE TRIO». The concert will start at 17:00.

In the concert programme the ensemble will perform piano trios of two outstanding composers Anton Arensky and Sergey Rachmaninov. The composers are linked by one country, one era, one conservatory Rachmaninoff was a student, while Arensky was a teacher at the Moscow Conservatory. Both were pianists, conductors and composers. The characteristic feature of both composers is a unique, rich, expressive melodism that has resonated in the hearts of millions of people.

The work of S. Rachmaninoff has become a true symbol of Russian music’. The Elegiac Trio No 1 in G minor was written by the composer in his student years. In terms of compositional technique this youthful work is not inferior to Rachmaninoff's later works.

Elegiac Trio No 1 in G Minor was first performed in January 1892 by the brilliant pianist Rachmaninoff himself performing the piano part, with Anatoly Brandukov playing the cello part and David Crane the violin part. The work was a success, but for unknown reasons it remained unpublished and forgotten for many years. It was only in 1930 that it was discovered in the archive of Mikhail Slonov, a Russian singer and friend of S. Rachmaninoff. In 1945 the Elegiac Trio was performed in a series of concerts dedicated to Rachmaninoff, and two years later the work was published for the first time. In this way Rachmaninoff's youthful work was brought back to life, and today it occupies a worthy place in the concert repertoire of artists.

Piano Trio No. 1, D minor Op. 32 А. Arensky wrote this work in 1984 in memory of the famous cellist and Director of the St Petersburg Conservatoire Karl Davydov. Arensky highly valued Davydov as a virtuoso performer who performed Arensky's cello works on numerous occasions. The work, filled with sincerity of feeling, embodies the best features of the composer's style. Its melodic charm is combined with the classical slenderness of musical form. In terms of structure, the Piano Trio in D minor is a classical four-part cycle, perhaps in this way Arensky wished to emphasise Davydov's adherence to tradition, highlighting the classical orientation of his work.

The first movement is elegically sad but nobly restrained. In the first statement of the main part, the timbre of the cello is absent, as if, with the passing of the famous artist, the voice of his instrument had also fallen silent. The first movement in traditional sonata form is replaced by a virtuoso scherzo in the second movement, in which no images of grief arise. The third movement is entitled Elegy by the composer and returns to a mournful mood. The cello plays a special role here, its timbre giving the sorrowful theme a special depth. The Trio ends with an unexpectedly bravura finale in a strictly classical style.

Piano Trio No 1 in D minor was first performed in September 1894 in Moscow, with Arensky himself performing the piano part. Even during the composer's lifetime the Trio gained widespread popularity, which continues to this day.

The state trio FORTE TRIO, founded in 2013, enjoys well-deserved recognition not only in our country but also abroad.

The founder and artistic director of the ensemble Honoured Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Knight of the Order ‘Kurmet’, Professor Timur Urmancheev (piano) for the first time in the musical history of Kazakhstan combined three instruments piano, violin and cello. The group includes talented highly professional musicians Murat Narbekov (cello), winner of the prize of the Fund of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Maksat Dzhusupov (violin), winner of international competitions.