The Oliver Schnyder Trio has recorded Piano Trios and the Quintet by Shostakovich - together with violinist Julia Fischer and violist Nils Mönkemeyer, to form a rare compilation of Shostakovich's chamber music.

Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the 20th century's greatest composers, died in August 1975 - fifty years ago. His work is closely linked to the turbulent history of the Soviet Union, reflecting a life caught between inner artistic expression and external conformity, personal tragedy and public responsibility. Few composers managed to create music of such emotional power and complexity under political pressure.

Chamber music held a special place in his oeuvre as a space for intimacy, reflection, and artistic freedom. His two piano trios and Piano Quintet, op.57, exemplify this aspect of his work. Piano Trio no.1, composed when he was just seventeen at the Leningrad Conservatory, is a single-movement piece rich in late-Romantic expressiveness and hints at his emerging personal style despite influences from Rachmaninov and Scriabin.

Piano Trio no.2, op.67, was written during a period of personal and national crisis. Its Jewish-folk finale alludes to the murder of Eastern European Jews and offers a bitterly ironic reflection on violence and death.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich's death on 9 August 2025, the Oliver Schnyder Trio recorded the two piano trios and Piano Quintet, op.57, joined by violinist Julia Fischer and violist Nils Mönkemeyer for the quintet.