Trio for three cellos

Having come to Vienna to complete his training under Albrechtsberger and Salieri, between 1802 and 1808, Reicha composed prolifically there to hone his skills and experiment, producing many works of chamber music written with a lively, sure hand. A future theoretician and teacher, his imagination was fired by challenges: the 24 horn trios composed during this period reveal his liking for the constraints of three-part writing. His recipe for success was his full, rich counterpoint, which resulted from the interplay of voices rather than the harmonic density. By choosing, for this work dated 15 June 1807, three identical instruments placed on an equal footing, Reicha avoided the pitfall of the string trio in which the power of the cello and the weight of the viola are highlighted to the detriment of the violin. The cellos’ broad range gave Reicha almost the same possibilities. The large-scale first movement takes off prematurely, then steadies itself to move into the second theme. Without waiting for the exposition, it launches into a series of exchanges, progressions or imitations in the manner of a polyphonic improvisation. The ghost of Haydn hovers over the lilting sicilienne rhythms of the Andante which, with the subtlety of its harmonic touches, the gossamer-like spell woven by its coda, has all the innocence of a French romance. Like the lively minuet, in which the three instruments toss phrases back and forth, the Finale emphasises the rhythmic element: mischievous at first, then propulsive, it draws to a good-humoured close.