Piano Trio No. 1

Dmitri Shostakovich composed his First Piano Trio in 1923, when he was just 16. Originally entitled Poème, it was dedicated to Tatyana Glivenko, a fellow student who he had met the previous year and with whom he was deeply in love. Although his earnest pursuit of her never came to fruition, they remained close, corresponding for several years.

The trio is a compact, one-movement work. The haunting opening andante theme, with its two descending half steps, is seen by some commentators as an expression of the young composer’s yearning. This motive is the germ for several themes that follow, taking us through a variety of moods that always lead back to the initial andante theme. Eventually, a brighter impressionistic passage introduces a theme that replaces the half steps with whole steps, perhaps signaling the hope of fulfillment. The music that follows is at times troubled and agitated, at others giddy with anticipation until, after a brief pause, we arrive back at the initial andante theme. A brief coda reintroduces one of the agitated allegro passages from earlier in the work before leading to an enthusiastic close.

The many sudden tempo and style changes in this work might remind one of early film music, as we journey through the many shifting moods and passions of young love. With its eclectic mix of styles, the trio reveals some of Shostakovich’s early influences while offering hints of the acerbic and aggressive music that was to characterize so many of his later works.

— Michael Strasser