The Suite for Piano Trio, composed in 1932, is Paul Juon's last work for piano trio. It consists of a loose collection of five movements of moderately short length. Critics have called it a tribute to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Berlin, where Juon was then living, in the late 1920s and early 1930s. One can hear echoes from the Berlin theater scene, from the emerging world of jazz, as well as hints of Russian and Scandinavian themes--both groups had large populations then living in Berlin and helped to give the city its international flavor.
Paul Juon (1872-1940) was the son of Swiss parents who emigrated to Moscow, where he was born. Educated at the Moscow German High School, he entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied violin with Jan Hrimaly and composition with Anton Arensky and Sergei Taneyev. After graduating, he went to Berlin for further composition instruction from Woldemar Bargiel (we have published several of Bargiel's works). In 1906, after holding various posts in Russia, Juon was invited by Joseph Joachim, head of the prestigious Berlin Hochschule für Musik, to become a Professor of Composition, a post which he held until 1934, when he emigrated to Switzerland, where he lived for the rest of his life. Juon was widely regarded as a first-rate composer, and his works were given frequent performances throughout Europe during his lifetime. Chamber music plays a large part in his output, which numbers more than 100 works.
Here is an attractive modern work that not only deserves a concert performance but should also interest amateurs who are keen to add to their repertoire from this time period.
