Born in Venice, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948; original name Ermanno Wolf) was the son of a German father and an Italian mother. His father, August Wolf, was a painter living and working in Venice. Throughout his life, he felt torn between the two cultures, uniting in himself the deep-felt German seriousness of purpose with sunny, Italian bel canto melody. Initially, Ermanno wanted to follow in his footsteps. However, after studying painting in Rome and Munich during 1891-92, in 1893, he enrolled in the Royal Conservatory there and studied composition with Joseph Rheinberger until 1895, after which he returned to Venice and added his mother's surname to his. He spent the rest of his life between Munich and Venice, never entirely satisfied in either place. This tension was, however, an important source of creativity for him. Wolf-Ferrari enjoyed his greatest success while still rather young, winning international fame for several of his operas between 1900 and the First World War. He served as Choral Director in Milan and later became the director of the Marcello Music Academy in Venice and taught at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. The First World War created an emotional crisis in that his "two fatherlands" were fighting on opposite sides. He chose to live in neutral Switzerland for the duration.
Though mainly known for his operas, he was quite fond of chamber music and wrote a fair amount, including two piano trios, a string quartet, a string quintet, three string trios, and several instrumental sonatas. During his time studying with Rheinberger, he composed two string trios, the first in b minor and the second in c minor. The String Trio in b minor is in three movements--Allegro, Larghetto, and Scherzo, Allegro vivace. Scholars are divided as to whether Wolf-Ferrari intended for the Scherzo to be the final movement. The work was never published until now. Our edition is based on the manuscript, which resides in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) in Munich. The title page can be seen above. Although he chose never to publish the trio, Wolf-Ferrari, toward the end of his life,wrote to his friend that the two trios he composed, while studying with Rheinberger, were of value to him. One hears some influence of late Brahms and Rheinberger in a late Romantic era style.
This is a very original and unusual work which deserves its chance in the recital hall and can also be recommended to amateur ensembles.
