Felix Mendelssohn, 1809-1857
Piano Trio No. 1 in d minor, Op. 49, 1839
Written in 1839, the first of two piano trios, Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in d minor is probably his most well known chamber composition and easily his most beloved. The first two movements alone deliver more lyrical melody than entire works from other composers. Unlike his classical forebears with their penchant for shorter motif-based themes, Mendelssohn builds his first movement sonata with two themes, both of them expansive, multi-phrase songs of surprising completeness. What is more, these memorable tunes are naturally given to the perfect pair of instruments, the cello and violin. Singing individually in dialogue and combining in harmony and counterpoint, their complementary ranges and timbres imbue much of the work with the intertwined duality of lovers.
To make this duo a trio, Mendelssohn writes an equally memorable piano part, arguably the most distinctive aspect of the trio. Here, despite his common reputation as a conservative classicist, Mendelssohn speaks the true language of his romantic context, writing for the intimate character piece as well as the passionate virtuoso. True throughout the work, this is nowhere more apparent than with the second movement Andante that begins with a delicate melody from the solo piano with all the grace and charm of his numerous piano miniatures collected under the title "Songs without Words". Thus begins the dreamy point of repose in the trio, another instance of memorable lyricism in a distinctive style for which the work is cherished.
If he hadn't yet stamped the trio with his recognizable signature, Mendelssohn did so with the scherzo, as he always tends to do. Fleet, mercurial, devilishly virtuosic, the third movement begins with the a delightful premise in the solo piano that quickly integrates the violin and cello into a perfect romp of equal partners that flows seamlessly from beginning to end. The seamlessness is due not merely to the perpetual motion of the music but to the noteworthy fact that this scherzo has no formal trio. Still, the form is ternary with a middle "portion" characterized by intensified drama, a cloudy storminess that perturbs the otherwise unchecked mirth of the outer sections.
Despite its famed lyricism, the trio as a whole is full of driving energy, from the restless agitation of the first movement to the animated dance of the scherzo to the powerful forward rush of the finale. Several times, this force and the texture of the ensemble erupt into music of tremendous weight with nearly orchestral proportions. It almost defies its context within a piano trio, or, put another way, demonstrates what power the piano trio really holds. This is particularly so in the final movement. But this never dominates; rather, it grows organically out of a constantly changing chamber texture that simultaneously offers some of the most clearly etched delicacy one finds in all chamber music. It is the fluid and perfectly constructed balance of these polarities within his music that makes Mendelssohn's art so wonderful, so well crafted, so natural, direct and "easy".
