Trio Basilea | Newcomers 2026

Sunday, 13 September 2026, at 2 p.m., Tellenhaus Ernen

In this closing concert with Trio Basilea, two quintessentially classical piano trios are juxtaposed with a contemporary work. Haydn’s Piano Trio in A major was composed in London in 1795 and is noticeably inspired by the English fortepianos, which were larger and more sonorous than their Viennese counterparts. As if Haydn wished first to test the instrument’s sound, the trio opens with three rich chords before introducing the song-like principal theme, contrasted by a playfully dotted transition which subsequently comes into its own in the development section. The melancholically swaying Andante in A minor recalls Mozart’s Rondo in the same key (K. 511, composed in 1787 and featured in Schaghajegh Nosrati’s recital on 15 July 2026), while the finale is a polonaise à la hongroise.

Mendelssohn’s Trio in D minor (1839) is perhaps the most classical of all Romantic piano trios, with its exemplary opening movement – whose beginning, through its quotation of Schubert’s song “Fahrt zum Hades”, immediately creates a semantically charged, epically elevated atmosphere – featuring two contrasting themes; the expansive Song without Words in the Andante; the fairy-like scherzo; and the finale, reminiscent of Beethoven.

Claire-Mélanie Sinnhubers Renouée des oiseaux (Bird Knotgrass) “takes its name from a weed – wild, freely growing grass – that grows where it is not wanted, much to the delight of birds, which feast on its seeds”, as the composer explains. In tightly interwoven canons, repeated motifs – like the unwanted plant itself? – constantly reappear everywhere. From this emerge oscillating soundscapes full of colour and energy.

Jonathan Inniger

Joseph Haydn 1732–1809
Piano Trio A major Hob. XV:18
Allegro moderato
Andante
Allegro

Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber *1973
Renouée des oiseaux (2023)
Swiss Premiere

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy 1809–1847
Piano Trio No. 1 D minor Op. 49
Molto allegro agitato
Andante con moto tranquillo
Scherzo. Leggiero e vivace
Finale. Allegro assai appassionato

Trio Basilea:
Laurentiu Stoian, Violin
Marina Martins, Violoncello
Zofia Grzelak, Piano