Trio Sōra - Video

After Beethoven comes Brahms: that’s the trajectory followed by enterprising Trio Sōra in turning to Brahms’ Complete Piano Trios – released on La Dolce Volta on 26 April – after its acclaimed Beethoven cycle. As cellist Angèle Legasa says: “We started at the beginning: who was Brahms? How did he grow up musically? He began his musical career with a Gypsy violinist; he’s the spiritual son of Beethoven… that’s how we worked with Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure [from Quatuor Ébène], who helped us to delve into all the harmonic colours of Brahms’ music, to surpass ourselves and express deep emotions, with a warmth of sound so typical of Brahms”. Here the trio plays Brahms’ song Wiegenlied arranged by former member of the Ébènes, Mathieu Herzog.

Using some of its 2020 BBT Fellowship, Trio Sōra commissioned Raphaël Merlin for a piece, premiered at a special Radio France/France Musique concert in honour of long-standing France Musique presenter Frédéric Lodéon, which took place on 17 October 2020. A reflection of our times, Covid van B. also commemorates the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, with quite a few Beethoven quotes to listen out for. Beethoven was to have been a preoccupation of Trio Sōra in 2020 until Covid struck, though its complete Beethoven Piano Trio recording was released in November 2020 on the Naïve Classique label.

With thanks to Radio France and France Musique.