No-one can betoken a stringent fugue like Beethoven and only seconds later dissolve this favourite form of the Baroque into classical Viennese charm. In the first movement of his piano trio he introduces the cello, them the violin and finally the piano. A succession and a prioritization that flows to and fro in this piece from 1808.With quarter tones and striking piano chords Copland introduces us to both dancing and more sinister passages with melodic material inspired by Jewish folk tunes. The listener is never in doubt of the serious background of Copland’s music. With great empathy he depicts the harsh and often tragic fate of the Jewish people.In the Shostakovich we are met by delicate flageolets in the cello. A hymn-like melody slowly unfolds to a melancholy fugue. The music was written after the death of a close friend and in the light of the horrific reports about the holocaust that finally reached the public in 1944.Trio WandererThis years ensemble in residence at Mogens Dahl Concert Hall makes audiences sit up and take notice in concert halls all over the world, be it at the Philharmonics of Berlin, at Wigmore Hall, La Scala or opera houses and intimate stages in the US, Japan or South America.Their Copland and Shostakovich CD has received enthusiastic reviews. David Hurwitz writes in Classics Today that their recording will be the new benchmark for these pieces. “Holy cow,” he exclaims, “this is some terrific chamber music playing! In fact, there is no finer version available of Shostakovich’s epic and tragic Op. 67.”The three members of the trio are all graduates from the Conservatoire de Paris.Programme:Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Trio in E flat major, op. 70, no. 2Aaron Copland (1900-1990): Vitebsk: Study on a Jewish Theme. Piano TrioDmitri Sjostakovitj (1906-1975): Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 67