This post features a rather short but poignant chamber work. Rachmaninoff was not a composer who produced a lot of chamber music, two short piano trios, two suites for two pianos, and a cello sonata were all the composer contributed into that area.

In perfect Rachmaninoff fashion though, all of them are significant contributions into the chamber experience. Rachmaninoff's Trio Elegiaque No.1 in G minor is a work for piano trio, it was written between January 18-21, 1892 and though Rachmaninoff was of a younger age at the time of completion, the work is of a wide spectrum of harmonic color (especially in the virtuoso piano part) and is deep with harmonious, romantic melodies that Rachmaninoff has become famous for.

And as with all Rachmaninoff pieces, they're deeply orchestrated and layered at tremendous levels making performance and interpretation incredibly difficult. I'm finding this out the hard way as I'm currently working on a few of his Etudes from Op.32...but as always, the music is worth the struggle.

Enjoy a wonderful performance by the Kempf Trio as they perform this short work.

Part 1


Part 2