Tovio Kuula - Piano Trio in A major Op. 7 (1908)

Tovio Kuula 

(7 July 1883 – 18 May 1918)

 

was a Finnish composer and conductor of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods, who emerged in the wake of Jean Sibelius, under whom he studied privately from 1906 to 1908. The core of Kuula's oeuvre are his many works for voice and orchestra, in particular the Stabat mater (1914–18; completed by Madetoja), The Sea-Bathing Maidens (1910), Son of a Slave (1910), and The Maiden and the Boyar's Son (1912). In addition he also composed two Ostrobothnian Suites for orchestra and left an unfinished symphony at the time of his death in 1918.

 Piano Trio  in A major Op. 7 (1908)

I. Moderato assai (0:00​)

II. Scherzo. Allegro con brio (19:02​)

III. Andante elegico (25:29​)

IV. Finale. Allegro vivace (37:47​)

Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä, violin; Tuomas Lehto, cello and Roope Gröndahl, piano From Edition Silvertrust: “Toivo

 

Kuula's Piano Trio, which was published in 1910, though lengthy, nonetheless shows the hand of a real talent. Structurally following the classical tradition, the work shows the influence, to some extent of the German Romantics. In the first movement, Allegro moderato, the opening theme is characterized more by the unusual rhythms than the thematic material, however, the second subject, a kind of funeral music, is quite noteworthy. The Scherzo which follows is particularly well-done and the lovely, contrasting middle section which serves as a trio is also appealing. The third movement, Andante elegico, is full of beautiful touches. The main theme to the finale, Allegro vivace, has the character of a tarantella while the second subject is rather march-like."—the famous chamber music scholar Wilhelm Altmann writing in his Handbook for Piano Trio Players.