A toe-tapping celebration of folk melodies and story-song.

Joseph Haydn spent much of his life in Hungary, immersed in the rich Hungarian folk tradition.

These influences permeated his compositions, including the free-spirited Piano Trio No. 39 in G Major. The third movement features the Verbunkos, a folk-inspired dance brimming with vigour and purpose, used in the recruitment efforts of the Austro-Hungarian army.

Antonin Dvořak was similarly influenced by folk music: in his case, the sounds of his Bohemian homeland. His Piano Trio No. 4 is full of contrasts: joy and lament, major and minor. The title ‘Dumky’ is a nod to the Slavic tradition of epic poetry, a style that was sung and used in the mythic retelling of great historical events.

Artists

Kirsten Williams violin
Patrick Suthers cello
Edward Neeman piano

Repertoire
JOSEPH HAYDN Piano Trio in G major, Hob.XV:25
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90, B. 166 ‘Dumky’