Altenberg Trio

Soon after completing his studies at the organ school in Prague, it became clear that Dvorák was above all drawn to chamber music. He was to complete a total of forty chamber pieces including four piano trios. The Austrian Altenberg Trio is performing these captivating chamber works in two concerts and is combining this short residence with a masterclass at the Antwerp Conservatory. The First Piano Trio is reminiscent of the intimate tunefulness of Schubert and is more of a frivolous stylistic exercise than a genuine composition of his own. It contrasts sharply with the Third Piano Trio from 1883, the first in a series of chamber music masterpieces. This Third Trio is bursting with Dvorák's admiration for Brahms, being highly personal, powerful and dramatic. It is apparent that the admiration was mutual from Brahms' characterisation of his protégé: "We could all write complete movements with the notes he discards".