Leonard Bernstein - Piano Trio (1937)

Leonard Bernstein

 August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990)

American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the US to receive worldwide acclaim. According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history."

Piano Trio (1937)

Leonard Bernstein's Piano Trio for piano, violin, and cello was written in 1937 while he was attending Harvard University as a student of Walter Piston. He was influenced by the conductor Dmitri Mitropoulos.^[1] Several melodic ideas were recycled for use in later pieces. For example, the opening of the second movement was used later by Bernstein in his first musical, On the Town.

Premiere

The Trio was premiered in 1937 at Harvard University by the Madison Trio: Mildred Spiegel, Dorothy Rosenberg, Sarah Kruskall.^[2] It was published by Boosey & Hawkes.^[3]

Movements

The Trio is written in three movements:

• I. Adagio non troppo - Più mosso - Allegro vivace
• II. Tempo di marcia
• III. Largo - Allegro vivo et molto ritmico

Awards

In 2000, the Altenberg Trio's recording of this piano trio won the Edison Award in Amsterdam.