Gaetano Braga (1829-1907) was born in the Italian town of Giulianova. He studied at the Naples Conservatory with Salvatore Mercadante, among others, and then pursued a dual career as a virtuoso cellist and as a composer. He was considered one of the leading cellists before the public during the last half of the 19th century. While he toured throughout Europe and the United States, his to so-called home bases were Paris and Milan. Besides his solo concert career, Braga devoted a considerable amount of time to composing, and his works, his operas in particular, enjoyed great popularity. He had a great gift for melody, and his dramatic and cantabile writing made many of his compositions unforgettable. Today, he is remembered chiefly for his lovely work, Le Serenata or The Angel's Serenade.
His Trio de Salon was composed in 1857 while he was living in Paris and dedicated to his friend Giacomo Rossini. It is in 2 sections. The opening Andante is very lyrical and has the singing quality that so many of his popular works displayed. The second section, Brillante, is actually two parts in one--it opens with a burst of excitement and forward motion and is interspersed with more lyrical parts. The superb conclusion is breathtaking.
The Trio de Salon is almost as long as a short piano trio. It is a real tour de force, and every performing piano trio ensemble would do well to have it in its repertoire.