The Leipzig Circle

Phoenix Piano Trio

The Phoenix Piano Trio's latest album is the first in a series that will explore the extraordinary musical melting pot of Leipzig from the 1840s. In this great hub of European music, Mendelssohn, the Schumanns, Brahms and many other brushed shoulders, and the series will take in these household names as well as their friends, contemporaries and students. This first album begins with Schumann’s exuberant Trio in F major and concludes with Mendelssohn’s turbulent, virtuosic Trio in C minor. Between these two works, we hear the five ‘Novelletten’ of the Danish composer Niels Gade. A close friend of Mendelssohn and particularly Robert Schumann, Gade’s musical language shows a strong Germanic influence while retaining a clear Nordic voice, exemplified in these five pieces that are a rich addition to the trio repertoire. The Phoenix Piano Trio is established as one of today’s leading ensembles, bringing together three renowned players and praised for performances with a ‘musical narrative of tremendous, involving depth’ (Strings Magazine USA) and ‘unbuttoned exuberance’ (Financial Times). Violinist Jonathan Stone is an internationally acclaimed chamber musician, soloist and concertmaster, and was a member of the Doric String Quartet for 13 years. Christian Elliott is Principal Cellist of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Zehetmair Quartet. Sholto Kynoch is a sought-after pianist specializing in chamber music and song, and is Artistic Director of the Oxford Lieder Festival.

Price: $25.98