The three piano trios in this programme are all early, and not entirely characteristic, works by three composers who came to be celebrated for their music in quite other genres. Yet they are highly enjoyable works in their own right which hardly deserve their comparative obscurity.

The Vienna Schubert Trio was founded in 1985 and performed as a full-time ensemble until deciding to disband in 1993. From the outset the trio appeared regularly in the music centres of Europe, North America and Asia, and rapidly established a reputation as one of the foremost piano trios. In their debut season, they won first prize at the International Chamber Music Competition “Sergio Lorenzi” in Trieste, Italy with Sandor Vegh as president of the jury, and as a result were given the opportunity to work with the Beaux Arts Trio.

After its first tour of the United States in 1986, the Trio was named the year’s “Best New Visiting Chamber Ensemble” by the Washington Post.

The ensemble devoted itself to both the established masterpieces of the repertoire and many less familiar works, often presented in the context of concert series designed to demonstrate relationships between various composers and styles.

Vienna Schubert Trio:
- Claus-Christian Schuster, Piano
- Boris Kuschnir, Violin
- Martin Hornstein, Cello