Alexander Winkler (1865-1935) was born in the then Russian city of Kharkov (today Kharkiv in the Ukraine). He studied piano and composition locally and then in Moscow and St. Petersburg. He continued his studies in Paris and Vienna before returning to Kharkov, where he taught piano for a number of years before being appointed to a professorship at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Sergei Prokofiev was among his many students. In 1924, he emigrated to France and served as director of the Conservatory in Besancon.
His Piano Trio in f sharp minor dates from 1912. It was dedicated to Princess Helene Saxe-Altenburg, a wealthy Russian-German noblewoman who was not only a patron of music but also, at one point, served as a professor at the Conservatoire Rachmaninov in Paris. The trio is written in the late Romantic style with several critics noting a Brahmsian influence. In four movements, it opens with an introspective, somewhat dark-hued and dramatic Allegro. The second movement, Vivace, serves as a kind of scherzo and is dominated by its accented rhythms. Next comes a lush and expressive Andante. The finale, Allegro deciso, is very energetic and full of excitement and forward motion.
This is a first-rate work, in our opinion, a masterwork. Long out of print, we are pleased to make it available again.
