Russian Georgy Sviridov. He was born 1915 in Fatezh, a town 500 km south of Moscow and passed away in 1998. He was a pupil of Dmitry Shostakovich at the Leningrad Conservatory, and if you’re familiar with Shostakovich’s 2nd Piano Trio, or any of his music in fact, you’ll hear that strong influence in Sviridov’s music.
The younger composer was awarded the Stalin prize in 1946 for this piano trio. It’s a powerful work with ambitious scale which Sviridov wrote during the lengthy siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany.
The trio takes us on a broad emotional journey, from somber nostalgia in the opening, to a dance macabre in the scherzo that will be familiar to fans of Shostakovich. The finale is called ‘Idyll’, with its playful pastoral folk-feel, suggesting a return to peace which seems robbed by the anguished quiet ending, reminding us of the tragedy of war.
Performed by Levansa Trio: Andrew Beer (vln), Lev Sivkov (cello), Sarah Watkins (pno) during Sunday Concerts at St. Andrew's on The Terrace, Wellington 31 July 2022. Presented by Wellington Chamber Music Trust, and recorded and produced by David Houston for RNZ Concert.
