In 1914, composer Maurice Ravel spent the summer months in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a Basque fishing town across the port from where he was born writing his Piano Trio in A minor. Although initial progress was slow, the outbreak of World War I forced him to work quickly in order to finish before enlisting.
Ravel innovatively scored the string parts in their upper ranges so that the violin can be heard high above the piano, and the cello’s notes occupy the space between the pianist’s hands. The string music is full of wonderful technical features – trills, tremolos, harmonics, arpeggios and glissandos that add to the innovative, almost orchestral texture of the music.
The opening theme is an ethereal reflection on the zortziko, a Basque dance rhythm, so listen out for that!
