Piano Trio No. 3

Antonín Dvořák’s Third Piano Trio, written in 1883, is considered a major milestone in his compositional career and one of the most important works in the genre. His mother’s recent death may have contributed to the relatively somber mood of the work, but Dvořák was also heavily influenced by the music of Brahms, who had promoted the young Czech composer’s music to Viennese publishers and critics. The first three movements of the work certainly reflect the serious tone of the older master’s music, with the fourth more clearly influenced by the folk styles of Dvořák’s homeland.

The first movement is almost unrelentingly grave, with only a handful of brighter moments. The piano imposes its presence throughout, resulting in an unusually dense texture. In a sharp contrast of mood, the scherzo begins with a fascinating juxtaposition of triplet eighth notes in the strings and an irregular duple-meter melody that combines Brahms’s penchant for syncopation with the uneven phrasing of Czech folk music. The lyrical middle section returns to a more serious tone before the return of the scherzo.

The heart of the work is the slow third movement. Written in A-flat major, this movement exudes an atmosphere of wistful nostalgia, with a quicker passage briefly introducing a note of happy tranquility. The rhythmic energy that pervades the finale hints at the influence of Czech dance and folk music. Just before the exuberant ending, Dvořák turns inward with a reminiscence of the first movement’s main theme to bring the piece full circle.

— Michael Strasser

Michael Strasser is professor emeritus of musicology at Baldwin Wallace University. He has published numerous articles and reviews and presented papers at international conferences on fin-de-siècle