The Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano by György Ligeti was completed in 1982. It is marked as an homage to Johannes Brahms who wrote one of the few other examples of this genre.
Contents
History
The Trio was a turning point in Ligeti’s career. It is considered to be the watershed moment that opened up his "third way," a style that Ligeti claimed to be neither modern nor postmodern.
Analysis
The Trio is in four movements:
- Andante con tenerezza
- Vivacissimo molto ritmico
- Alla marcia
- Lamento. Adagio
A performance of the piece lasts about 21 minutes.
The composition explores the use of major and minor harmonies without the syntax of common practice tonality. In addition, it explores the out of tune upper partials available on the horn, asymmetric Bulgarian rhythms in the second movement, and the Ligeti lamento motif in the fourth movement. The first three movements are each in a ternary form – a notable look back towards traditional forms. The final movement is an example of a passacaglia using as its ground bass a similar theme as that of the opening movement. It has been pointed out that the opening theme of the first movement is reminiscent of the opening theme of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 26, "Les Adieux".