St Mary's Perivale Events details

Sunday 23 June 3.00 pm

The Piano Trio Society present

The Paddington Trio

Tuulia Hero (violin)
Patrick Moriarty (cello)
Stephanie Tang (piano)

Lotta Wennäkoski : Päärme (12')

Introduction to Graham Harris's new piece by Jane Faulkner

Graham Harris : 'American Wests' piano trio (world premier) (16')
(three movements)
commissioned by the Piano Trio Society

interval

Schubert: Piano Trio in E flat. D929 (45')
Allegro / Andante / Scherzo / Allegro

Seen as the one of the most exciting chamber ensembles of their generation, the Paddington Trio has been recognized in international competitions and live performances for their fresh interpretations and exuberant energy. As did the famous bear, Finnish violinist Tuulia Hero, Irish cellist Patrick Moriarty and American pianist Stephanie Tang have made London their home and emerged as an ensemble of an entirely unique and lasting entity.
Having started their first adventure together at the Paddington Station in 2020, a year after they met, the trio won the First Prize in the 70th Royal Over-Seas League Competition for Strings & Piano Ensemble. Firmly committed to promoting new music, education and outreach in chamber music, they were also honoured with the First Prize of the NEW FORMATS Project Prize 2022 in Graz, Austria, and the First Prize at the Clara Schumann International Competition. In April 2023, they were the winners of the prestigious Parkhouse Award held in Wigmore Hall, and they are currently generously supported by the City Music Foundation, Kirckman Concert Society and GBZ Management. In the summer of 2023, the trio completed an Artist Fellowship programme at their alma mater, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, and in 2023/24 continues to teach and inspire young ensembles as Chamber Fellows in the renowned Chamber Fellowship Programme at the Royal Northern College of Music.

In March 2023, the Paddington Trio made its concerto debut performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Jan Söderblom and the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra in Finland. They have appeared in prominent halls and series, such as Wigmore Hall, LSO St. Luke's, Oxford Coffee Concerts, St. George's Bristol and the BBC Total Immersion. Their most recent debuts saw them at the TivoliVredenburg and the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, the Edinburgh Fringe, Buxton International and Brighton Festivals, and Lake District Summer Music. The trio has appeared on YLE Radio (Finland) and BBC Radio 3 In Tune.

GRAHAM NATHAN HARRIS PIANO TRIO: AMERICAN WESTS
This piano trio was composed in 2022-23 as a commission for the Piano Trio Society of Great Britain. The work is in 3 movements, and is tonal. It has an American flavour throughout. The title, later added by the composer, alludes to the many different aspects of the Old American West of the 19th Century and early 20th Century. The first movement is both rugged and optimistic, even epic, perhaps reminiscent of the sort of ruggedness one encounters in the music of Charles Ives, and the outdoor paintings of Winslow Homer. The movement opens with a bracing motivic theme in B flat (using a rising major 3rd and falling minor 7th). This vigorous motive is used throughout the movement and is developed in different guises (and different key centres). The harmony then dips into D major leading to a new tender motive/theme which alternates between E flat and G major (this type of harmonic shift is often explored, such as a short darker static episode that hints at the elegaic next movement). The movement often centres around these two above motivic themes, and develops them in many ways, such as employing intense rising figures (often chromatic) that organically grow out of them. These figures can in turn lead to new lyrical themes. The movement ends with a rising figure that hangs ambiguously. The second movement is a reflective, nostalgic and often elegiac movement, but also retains some of the vigorous optimism of the first movement. Indeed, for this movement the composer at first had a vision of an abandoned house at the time of the American Civil War with the rocking chair still on the porch. Also, the abandoned ghost towns of the American West, while writing the movement. Some of these towns sprung up during the gold and silver rushes, then were abandoned to nature. The movement opens with a short plaintive introductory minor 3rd motive stated in the violin part, which gradually becomes more lyrical, often using minor 3rds, 7ths and 9ths – intervals which pervade the movement. This leads to various episodes including a slightly ghostly one texturally with high violin, sparse lyrical textures with just strings, and episodes that have a more direct, epic and affirmative lyrical nature. Themes of optimism, hardship, nostalgia, and memory pervade the movement. Like the first movement, the movement ends ambiguously with a short ascending figure. The third movement begins as an exuberant dance-like movement with a fast athletic moving piano accompaniment. Over this enters a breezy, rather angular, theme on the violin (note this theme also uses the minor 3rd and 9ths of the preceding movement). The theme is slightly folksong-like melodically, looking back to New England hymnody, but also what the composer re-imagines as ‘Old West'saloon music. A new theme is eventually boldly taken up by the cello. During the movement we encounter other new lyrical episodes which are less dance-like. However, in the first of these, the piano eventually accompanies with scalic passages which are influenced by the composer's own piece ‘Green' (for piano/organ/string orchestra). The work ends with the opening themes, and finishes with a rousing coda that almost trips itself up both with offbeat scalic passages and even with the last chord, though the end is one of bright affirmation and optimism.

The Piano Trio Society

The Piano Trio Society was formed in 1995 with the aim of raising the profile on this important musical genre. Membership is international and includes professional trios, composers, teachers, students, amateur players and everyone who values the piano trio medium. We organize regular educational events including our annual Piano Trio Days, when students receive coaching from distinguished tutors and have just held our third successful Intercollegiate Piano Trio Competition. We follow many of our student trios, such as the Paddington Trio, as they start their professional careers and put opportunities their way when we can. We include a number of composers in our membership and are pleased to encourage the performance of new works such as the one we are to hear today. We often work with other Societies and continue our association with BAPAM, which deals with the important topic of health and the musician. All of our activities are recorded in our Newsletters along with general articles of interest. email info@pianotriosociety.org.uk www.pianotriosociety.org.uk

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