Trio His

Michael Finnissy first came to prominence in the mid-1970s with his orchestral works Offshore and Sea and Sky and his gargantuan piano piece English Country Tunes. Since then he has slowly been consolidating his position and has gathered a loyal band of devotees here and abroad. In fact, to a certain extent his music has probably found greater appreciation abroad than in this country a syndrome that Finnissy's music shares in common with his fellow countryman Brian Ferneyhough.

Thanks to recordings such as this one, the figure of Johann Wilhelm Wilms (1772-1847) is increasingly coming into focus and prominence as a notable contemporary of Beethoven who deserves better than his previous obscurity. In 1807, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung described the Wilms as ‘one of the most ingenious, spirited, and best educated artists’ of his generation: a judgment borne out by the this trio of high-spirited chamber works.

Highly praised for his orchestral works, Tchaikovsky never reached great popularity as a chamber music composer but, although his chamber output does not comprise many titles, it does includes works of distinct value, such as the beautiful but little known Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op.50 which we are featuring on this release. The work was composed in memory of his friend Nikolaj Rubinstein, who had passed away at the age of 46 and was considered at the time one of the greatest European pianists. It was premiered in Moscow on 30 October, 1882.