Paul Juon - Piano Trio No. 3, Op. 60 (1915)

Paul Juon (Russian: Па́вел Фёдорович Юо́н, Pavel Fyodorovich Yuon; 6 March 1872 – 21 August 1940) was a Russian-born Swiss composer, pianist and composition professor at Berlin employed by Joseph Joachim. Please support my channel: Piano Trio No. 3 in G major, Op. 60 (1914-15) Dedication: Herrn und Frau JH Block 1. Moderato assai (0:00) 2. Andante cantabile (8:14) 3. Risoluto, ma non troppo allegro (15:00) Altenberg Trio, Wien Details Edition Silvertrust Paul Juon’s Third Piano Trio, which dates from 1915, is an excellent example of why he has often been referred to as the missing link between Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. In his early music, one can hear the influence of his Russian homeland and schooling. Of course, Juon recognized that though he had been born in Russia and schooled there, he was a still foreigner living among Russians. His second period is more cosmopolitan and is in tune with the contemporary Central European trends of the early 20th century. Ultimately, it is hard to characterize his music as Russian or German, Romantic, Modern or Folkloric, because one can find all of these elements in his music. The opening movement to Piano Trio No.3, Moderato assai, has for its main theme a melody of vaguely Russian provenance. Juon treatment, especially rhythmically is highly imaginative and quite compelling. The middle movement, Andante cantabile, though introspective is highly romantic and full of deep feeling. In this movement appears an almost literal citation of the beginning of Trio No. 2 “Caprice“ opus 39. The finale, Risoluto, ma non troppo allegro, after a brusque chordal opening, is moved forward with a powerful and thrusting theme characteristic of the self-willed quality of many east Slavic folk melodies. The second theme, though also powerful and highly charged, is more lyrical in quality.