Out Today: MUSICAL REMEMBRANCES - Neave Trio's New Album With Chandos Records

Musical Remembrances, the new album from the Neave Trio (Anna Williams, violin; Mikhail Veselov, cello; Eri Nakamura, piano) is out today in digital formats with CDs to follow on May 6, 2022.

Musical Remembrances - the Trio's fourth album with Chandos Records -- includes Rachmaninoff's Trio élégiaque No. 1; Brahms' Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 8; and Ravel's Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 67.

The new album presents music connected by the theme of remembrance. Rachmaninoff's early first piano trio was inspired by Tchaikovsky's trio in A minor, and shows illuminating(is glimpses of the mature composer to come. The elegiac mood of Rachmaninoff's work is matched by that of Brahms's first trio - again an early composition - which was inspired by the composer's (unrequited) feelings for Clara Schumann. Ravel's only piano trio was composed in 1914, as France was being drawn into the horrors of the first world war. Ravel draws extensively on the rhythms and forms of his native Basque musical traditions, while the title of the second movement, "Pantoum," refers to a form of traditional Malaysian poetry which typically deals with two separate themes in alternation, a feature to which Ravel responds with a series of contrasting themes and textures.

For the Neave Trio, the concept of remembrance in this album was very personal. They say:

"We feel like the experiences of the last few years, including of course the COVID-19 pandemic, have impacted all of us in ways big and small. When we found ourselves in lockdown like the rest of the world, the idea of time standing still - as well as its fleeting, urgent nature and the universal question of how we spend it - felt more relevant than ever. As COVID affected us on both professional and personal levels, we also found ourselves living with these three works - works we had collectively felt to be 'larger than life' when first approached.

The more we lived with them, the more we felt that their legacies, however looming, were also deeply personal. Whether it's a young Rachmaninoff feeling the weight of Tchaikovsky's legacy in his 'Elegiaque,' Brahms revisiting his youthful trio as a mature composer, or Ravel contemplating what very well could have been his last work - hurriedly writing his Piano Trio before departing for the Great War - nothing, not even the most timeless work of art, is made in a vacuum. Nobody can avoid the question of what they might leave behind or for what they might be remembered."

Hailed by BBC Music Magazine for its "generous and warm-hearted, utterly beguiling playing, the Neave Trio has emerged as one of the finest young ensembles of its generation. It has been praised by WQXR Radio in New York City for its "bright and radiant music making," described by The Strad as having "elegant phrasing and deft control of textures," and praised by The New York Times for its "excellent performances."

Musical Remembrances is the Neave Trio's fourth album with Chandos Records. It follows Her Voice (2019), an album highlighting the music of distinguished women composers Louise Farrenc, Amy Beach, and Rebecca Clark; French Moments (2018), which includes the only known piano trios by Debussy, Fauré, and Roussel; and Neave's Chandos debut, American Moments (2016), featuring works by Korngold, Foote, and Bernstein.

Gramophone described Her Voice as, "a splendid introduction to these three pioneering female composers" and the album was named one of the best recordings of the year by both The New York Times and BBC Radio 3. BBC Music Magazine wrote of French Moments, "[Neave Trio's] performances balance passion with sensitivity and grace." And of Neave's Chandos debut, BBC Music Magazine wrote, "The Trio offers a strong sense of partnership, with the Bernstein, bounding along in fine spirit. The Foote shines wonderfully and is well worth discovering," while American Record Guide described Neave's playing as "idiomatic and attractive."

Musical Remembrances | Neave Trio | Chandos Records | Release Date: April 29, 2022 (Digital, Worldwide) / May 6, 2022 (CDs)

Recorded September 21-23, 2021 at Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk, England

Produced by Jonathan Cooper

[1] Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Trio élégiaque No. 1 (1892) [14:05]

[2-5] Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 8 (1853-54, revised 1889) [35:40]

[6-9] Ravel (1875-1937): Trio in A minor, Op. 67 (1914) [26:58]

About the Neave Trio: Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio - violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura - has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances. Neave has performed at many esteemed concert series and at festivals worldwide, including Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 92nd Street Y, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music Series (United Kingdom), and the Samoylov and Rimsky Korsakow Museums' Chamber Music Series in St. Petersburg (Russia). The Trio has held residency positions at Brown University, University of Virginia, San Diego State University as the first ever Fisch/Axelrod Trio-in-Residence, and the Banff Centre (Canada), among many other institutions. Neave Trio was also in residence at the MIT School of Architecture and Design in collaboration with dancer/choreographer Richard Colton. In the fall of 2017, the Trio joined the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College as Alumni Artists, Faculty Ensemble‑in‑Residence.

Neave Trio strives to champion new works by living composers and reach wider audiences through innovative concert presentations, regularly collaborating with artists of all mediums. These collaborations include a new project, Rising, with choreographer Gabrielle Lamb, Pigeonwing Dance, and composer Robert Sirota; performances with the Blythe Barton Dance Company; projection artist Ryan Brady; the interactive concert series "STEIN2.0," with composer Amanuel Zarzowski; Klee Musings by acclaimed American composer Augusta Read Thomas, which was premiered by Neave; the premiere of Eric Nathan's Missing Words V, sponsored by Coretet; and a music video by filmmaker Amanda Alvarez Díaz of Astor Piazzolla's "Otoño Porteño."

While the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered concert halls around the world, the Neave Trio found meaningful ways to perform safely. In April 2020, Anna Williams and Mikhail Veselov of the Neave Trio were filmed giving an emotional and heartfelt performance of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah in support of their neighbor - a nurse and new mother - and all essential workers during the coronavirus crisis. The video was shared by PBS' American Portrait series and has over 1 million views. Neave also performed virtual concerts for The Violin Channel's "Living Room Live" series; the "Notes of Hope: Music for the Frontline" series, which provided a daily performance of thanks by leading Boston classical musicians for COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers at Boston medical centers; and for Longy School of Music of Bard College's Virtual Benefit. Additional livestream concerts included performances presented by the Asheville Chamber Music Series, the Auditorium Chamber Music Series at the University of Idaho, the Center for Arts in Natick, Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society, and the President's Chamber Music Series at Western New Mexico University. In the summer and fall of 2020, Neave performed outdoor, socially-distanced concerts at PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century, the Walnut Hill School's "Summer of Art, Six Feet Apart" festival, and the Newport Music Festival.

For more information, visit www.neavetrio.com.  

To post a comment, you must register and login.