Noon Hour Concert: Tensions and Transparencies

Hailing from the heart of Europe’s classical tradition, the Vienna-based Cuore Piano Trio brings a refined yet daring voice to the chamber music stage. Formed by three musicians united by a deep commitment to the piano trio repertoire, the ensemble draws inspiration from Vienna’s rich musical lineage—home to Haydn, Schubert, and Brahms—while embracing the challenges and emotional landscapes of 20th-century works.

In this evocative program, Cuore Piano Trio explores the expressive breadth of the piano trio form through two contrasting masterworks: Joseph Haydn’s Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Hob XV:29 and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67.

The concert opens with Haydn—one of the genre’s earliest architects—whose E-flat major trio radiates charm, clarity, and a sparkling interplay between instruments. Composed in 1797, this trio is a vivid example of Classical balance, where elegance and invention coexist. Though often associated with wit and formal grace, Haydn’s writing also hints at deeper shades of feeling, revealed in sudden modulations and subtle textural shifts. It is a music of transparency—where emotion flows effortlessly through a clear, luminous structure.

In stark contrast, Shostakovich’s 1944 trio plunges us into a world shaped by trauma and loss. Written in the shadow of World War II and the death of his close friend Ivan Sollertinsky, the work is hauntingly expressive. The ghostly harmonics of the opening, the sardonic dances, the relentless march of the final movement—all evoke a composer grappling with grief, irony, and existential dread. This is a music of tension: harmonically restless, emotionally raw, and formally innovative.

Together, these two works form a kind of dialogue across time. Where Haydn refines and perfects the trio form, Shostakovich stretches it to its expressive limits. Tensions and Transparencies invites listeners to hear not just two pieces, but two fundamentally different responses to what it means to compose, to feel, and to communicate through music.

 Zuzanna Budzyńska (violin)
Weronika Strugała (cello - guest artist)
Szymon Ogryzek (piano)