Trio for violin, cello and piano in A minor op. 35

From 1895, Fernand de La Tombelle composed several ambitious works of chamber music for different forces: Quartet for strings and piano, op. 24 and Trio for violin, cello and piano, op. 35 (1895), String Quartet, op. 36 (1896), Violin Sonata, op. 40 (1898), and Cello Sonata (1905). Dedicated to the pianist, Isidor Philipp, combining French and German aesthetics, the Trio was first performed at the Société d’Art on 17 February 1895, by Augustin Lefort (violin), François Dressen (cello) and the composer. Le Ménestrel praised the performance, adding: “The first three parts of this trio and particularly the Adagio are a real success.” The modal shading of the first theme and several Faurean harmonies are worthy of note in the opening Allegro. Although the melodic material is mainly given to the strings, which unleash a welter of broad lyricism, the continual stream of arpeggios and broken chords on the piano plays an important role in creating the atmosphere. The Lento opens with a noble, expressive melody on the cello. After this, the discourse becomes more animated and more fraught. The last part returns to the elegiac mood of the early passages, with the strings playing the principal theme in unison with the upper register of the cello. The third movement, which is a scherzo in duple time, full of jaunty staccato writing, combines rhythmic drive with an intense outpouring of emotion. This energy is maintained in the Allegro vivace, where the instruments swap the thematic motifs back and forth in an exuberant dialogue.