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Gems from the Belgian Treasure Trove - Piano Trios by Rasse, Ryelandt and Vreuls
A common denominator to the three piano trios on this Phaedra Classics album is each composer's passionate commitment to the principles of the Romantic era. The composers represented, François Rasse (1873-1955), Joseph Ryelandt (1870-1965) and Victor Vreuls (1876-1944) were all born in Belgium and were active in the early decades of the twentieth century. Like many other composers from this time whose names are little known today, their work does not reflect the upheavals Western music underwent during their lifetimes, but instead, a clear desire "to create true beauty" (Joseph Ryelandt). The album is titled Gems from the Belgian Treasure Trove, and the three works are beautifully performed by I Giocatori Piano Trio. From what I can see, these are first recordings, and are all important additions to the recorded catalog of early 20th century chamber music.
Each composer was the product of a Belgian music education, and found their own ways to prominent teaching positions in Brussels. Each was also quite prolific, but none, with the marginal exception of Joseph Ryelandt, found any lasting reputation outside Belgium. Not surprisingly, all of this music shows a strong French influence. While the music of each possesses a character of its own, there is also a sameness to it. The shaping forces of harmony, melody, form and rhythm are often vague, lending the music a rather rhapsodic quality. At times, it seems to drift, as though for a period the rudder had been hoisted all together and the music pleasantly takes itself where it will.
The trios by Rasse and Vreuls are youthful compositions, written when the composers were in their 20's. The third movement Interlude et final from Rasse's Trio, Op. 16 (a work dedicated to Rasse's teacher, Eugene Ysaye) is the album sample available in the right sidebar. It strikes me as the most successful movement of the work, and is also a good representation of what you might expect in terms of style and tonality across all three works. Written when the composer was in his mid-forties, Joseph Ryelandt's trio is a more mature composition; it is also the most recently written, but as might not be expected, is the most conservatively Romantic sounding of the three.
The fact that these pieces did not find an accepted place with 20th-century performers and audiences cannot so much be a reflection on the quality of the music as it is the obvious result of them having barely ever been heard at all. Listeners eager to explore the more obscure veins of music by composers who strove to create "true beauty" at a time when this desire was little appreciated will find much to enjoy here, and in the music of so many other composers of this time who are featured on Expedition Audio.
After study and read-throughs of some 50 piano trios by Belgian composers, I Giocatori selected the three works featured on this CD. They are real discoveries of three composers of the same generation who, throughout their lives and each in his own way, remained faithful and true to an esthetic with deep roots in romanticism. Like Richard Strauss and Sergei Rachmaninov, they let the musical revolutions that characterized the beginning of the 20th century pass them by. In Joseph Ryelandt's words: "The only thing that matters is to create true beauty, to have something to say. Whether one is ahead of one's time or behind the times, he will be of the future. Did Bach follow the new trend of his day? No. But we couldn't care: he is of all times."
Source: Phaedra
François Rasse Born in Helchin (Tournai), François Rasse (1873-1955), after his studies at the Conservatory of Brussels (among his professors, note Eugène Ysaye for violin) was successively conductor (the Capitol of Toulouse, La Monnaie Brussels), professor of harmony at the Brussels Conservatory and director of the Conservatory of Liège. He composed many pieces for piano and various instruments, melodies, opera, ballet, cantatas, concerts strings.
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Joseph Ryelandt Joseph Ryelandt (1870 – 1965) was a Belgian classical composer. Ryelandt trained as a pianist until he was about 20; no wonder his piano output is vast. Froyen lists about forty compositions, including 12 piano sonatas |
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Victor Vreuls Victor Vreuls (1876 - 1944) was a Belgian composer. He made the first studies of music in his native city and later at the Conservatory of Liege , under the direction of Vincent d’Indy in Paris . In 1929 he became director of the Conservatory of Luxembourg . In 1903 Picard won the prize of the Academie libre in Belgium . http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Vreuls
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I giocatori Piano Trio In 1998 three alumni of the world famous Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel decided to collaborate, thus founding the piano trio I Giocatori. From the very beginning they aim for the ultimate in musical workmanship and for the creation of their own characteristic sound. Hendrik Ide, Violin; Ludo Ide, Cello; Hans Ryckelynck, Piano |
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Hear more of Ryelandt's attractive music, his Piano Quintet in A minor (not from this album)