Joseph Jongen - Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 10 (1897)

Marie-Alphonse-Nicolas-Joseph Jongen (14 December 1873 – 12 July 1953) was a Belgian organist, composer, and music educator. Please support my channel: Piano Trio No. 1 in B minor, Op. 10 (1897) Dedication: To my father 1. Allegro appassionato (0:00) 2. Andante molto sostenuto (10:09) 3. Allegro deciso (21:50) Ensemble Joseph Jongen Eliot Lawson, Mark Drobinsky, Diane Andersen Details by Edition Silvertrust: His First Piano Trio, which dates from 1897, is in three movements though written on a large scale. The opening Allegro appassionato has a flowing and passionate, song-like melody for its main theme. The second theme bears an amazing resemblance to the melody found in the second part of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. This may have or may not have been coincidence. Of course, it receives a very different treatment. The lovely middle movement, Andante molto sostenuto, begins almost as a recitative. As the music progresses both themes from the first movement make an appearance though in quite a different setting. The trio concludes with a sparkling Allegro deciso, which begins with an urgent and searching melody. This occupies the first section. But then, all of the themes which have preceded it are brought together and masterly worked out before giving way to a brilliant coda. It is hard to understand how a work of this quality is not better known. The explanation, of course, can be explained by the fact that Jongen remained nearly his entire life in tiny Belgium outside of the purview of mainstream musical Europe. The trio belongs in the repertoire and though challenging, it is not beyond experience amateurs.