Schubert: Piano Trio No.2 in Eb, D.929 (Trio Wanderer)

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

33:42 (12:22) Someone asked me (on one of the Beethoven sonata videos, I think) how to listen for structure, and I vaguely recall saying that was a really good question but also a difficult one to answer. Nonetheless, that bit I highlighted above seems a perfect illustration of what happens when structure really works - not as an academic thing or formal nicety, but when it really hits you as an emotional, experienced force. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to say something brief about structure. I think the basic way to understand how structure works is to note there are really two kinds of pleasure - pleasure _in_ something, and pleasure _at_ something. In-pleasures are essentially purely sensory - they feel good without intermediation (food, sex, a nice musical theme). At-pleasures are not really sensory per se - they’re what you feel when you hear that something good has happened in the world, for example. It not your _senses_ that are directly making you happy - it’s your mind doing the work. And structure in music is basically a way of dragging a whole bunch of sensory in-pleasures into an arrangement which lets them generate at-pleasure too. There is in-pleasure at 33:42, for sure - as a pure sensory experience it’s a really good bit of music. But what makes that moment great is the at-pleasure the structure provides, the pleasure of knowing that this is a beautiful theme you have already heard, now coming back in a radically different context - a lyric moment in a movement that, frankly, insists on opening with a rather trivial theme - and with a drastically different accompaniment. In a word, and simplifying a bit: surprise. But that’s only one of the many ways structure can provide at-pleasure. Often it *is* through surprise (the best sonata for this is, I think, Liszt’s B minor, because that’s a large part of how thematic transformation works - realising suddenly that something familiar has returned in a new guise, or that something apparently new has been heard before). But it can be though the exact _opposite_ of surprise, because you _anticipate_ what is to come. The pleasure you get from listening to the long buildup to an EDM bass drop and the dominant preparation at the end of the development section in a sonata really should be the same thing, and it’s all because you’re waiting for a big musical whizzbang or somesuch to come crashing through. It’s your brain doing the work - and I don’t mean this is an intellectual process at all, just that your mind generates happiness because of something it *isn’t* currently experiencing in a sensory way. Variation form is pretty interesting in this respect - it seems even more dependent on at-pleasure than complex forms like the sonata (think of how a really nice variation can sound banal in isolation: no-one would care that you can play Happy Birthday in the minor unless they already knew happy birthday, and the video at bit.ly/1PcGtCC wouldn’t be fun if you couldn’t recognise any theme) but the at-pleasure is neither from surprise or anticipation, but something even more abstract - just the mental act of linking one musical idea (a theme) with another (the variation). So in the context of the original question, which I think was about sonata form, the way I think of a sonata is that it is a bit of music talking to itself, building itself up through this scaffold of at-pleasures by satisfying/evading/modifying your expectations - and in a really good sonata (such as this trio) you get the sense you are lucky enough to eavesdrop.

[@cinimod621]

Thank you for your great work. I really enjoy to read what you write.

[@renan1033zinho]

really good clarification !

[@pijlenboog23]

Do you teach music somewhere? Or are you a musician? Can't believe you'd be an amateur

[@msurocks1973]

Agree. But unlike the Lisztian/Wagnerian camp (you ref. The Liszt Sonata above), Schubert was more about the “truth of musical expression” and not in the sense of Liszt that he sought to steer the compositional process along rational lines in furtherance of his own desire and aim. Hence I’m more on the of the Schumann campaign of romanticism. Alas! Don’t fret-I don’t claim Lisztian compositions as vulgar as andras Schiff would maintain.

[@Xelvonar]

One way I have described it to other is that music of the Classical and Romantic period is about setting up harmonic and motivic expectations and then either fulfilling them or postponing (or sometimes subverting) the fulfillment of those expectations.

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

00:00 - Mvt 1, Allegro 12:15 - Mvt 2, Andante con moto 22:01 - Mvt 3, Scherzo 28:48 - Mvt 4, Allegro moderato

[@sanderspoelstra8072]

Ashish, can you _please_ do an upload of the D958 sonata? I would love to read your commentary on the piece.

[@curtissitruc6894]

Came 50% for the piece and 150% for the great analysis♥️

[@user-gr5hi4um2u]

Kind of "romantic" to be Beethoven (just kidding, I absolutely agree)

[@easeandcomposure657]

If anyone's interested: there's a wonderful lecture about this trio by Bruce Adolphe from his Inside Chamber Music series. He talks about how the second movement was inspired by a Swedish song, how it's connected to Beethovens death and the Eroica and a lot of other interesting things. It's up on KZbin, highly recommended!

[@patr8394]

It really is a terrific introduction to the work.

[@NewMusicWeekly]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKOphmutjNJkb9E

[@AP47735]

That modulation from b minor to eb minor at 36:14 is amazing

[@MrMrgogo46]

33:49 return of the theme that emerged in the mvmt 2, th'ats why schubert is a genius. give me goosebumps every time. I don't know really why. But schubert is telling us a story that he only can understand

[@markhughes7927]

Ghost-story!

[@luisdeorueta9748]

He seems to remember one of his impromptus in the first movement...

[@liachechel]

@far ema it was Mozart's idea first, not Beethoven. For example, his piano concerto no.12. The main theme from the first movement reappears in the second movement in a different way.

[@elionthekeys]

@@liachechel this technique appeared way before Mozart

[@bennygotthard6641]

That kind of retrospection is extremely well composed by Schubert in this case

[@francescodepaoli2655]

Barry Lyndon. Piano trio n. 2. Kubrick. Schubert. Geniuses and masterpieces...

[@marichristian1072]

I'm fascinated by the sheer number of bowing techniques ( and pizzicato) Schubert employs for violin and cello.A trio for virtuosi only. Magnificent recording. Thank you.

[@davidrehak3539]

Franz Schubert:2.Esz-dúr Zongoratrió D.929 1.Allegro 00:00 2.Andante con moto 12:16 3.Scherzando: Allegro moderato 22:01 4.Allegro moderato 28:48 Trio Wanderer

[@winsomelau6188]

One of Schubert's last works. Obessed with his works especially in the late period

[@jojomj]

God, I absolutely adore Schubert. You don't understand what I would go through to hear what Schubert would have written if he hadn't passed so young.

[@blackcat0000]

Yeees, me too right now, I'm realising I love Schubert

[@ESilva-gw9ig]

A true masterpiece wonderfully played by these superb musicians. Schubert is one of the greatest ever.

[@rosch982]

I love how Schubert modulates from one key to another! I really like 32:47 where he finishes a section in B-flat Major and then goes on in B Minor. He is a genius!!

[@trutwijd]

No one modulates like Schubert, effortless. I was learning a piece that I found on this channel that went from B-minor (2 sharps) to friggin A-flat minor (7 flats!) and was looking at it wondering... huh how'd that happen?? check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enjCl6d-l6p6ptU

[@sophiaDrossopoulou]

My gamily and I heard the Trio Wandered yesterday, and we were blown away by this trio. We bought their CD, and listened to it another three times at home, but I was also looking for an analysis. Thank you, Ashish!

[@notsomething7561]

I just discovered this channel today searching for recordings, but oh my goodness I have found a GEM in these inciteful analyses!

[@msurocks1973]

Oh yes. Very nice. This with Mendelssohn’s 1st trio and Schumann’s 1st and 3rd are my favorite. Final movement is wonderful mix of previously introduced themes and intertwining them new beauties. Love the section at 11:08 left he repeats later as well. Thanks for making it available. Nice excuse to listen to this masterpiece of the chamber music repertoire once again!

[@madeleinebaur539]

Thank you for posting this wonderful and genius piece!

[@TimondeNood]

Thank you! Always have loved the profoundness of the second movement! Thank you Schubert.

[@enriquesanchez2001]

I am so glad you cited this movement. To me it is grand beyond proportions! Funny - the first time I heard it was in Stanley Kubrick's BARRY LYNDON. The undercurrents of passion and pathos runs deep into my heart. ♥

[@jeromeweingart5596]

This a superb, elegant performance, beautifully balanced, and very well recorded. I was unfamiliar with this ensemble. Thanks for introducing me to them. "The Trio Wanderer is a French piano trio made up of Vincent Coq piano, Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian violin and Raphaël Pidoux cello. Trio Wanderer’s members graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris." Wikipedia

[@OneConcertante]

Ashish: Uploads chamber music Me: Nice

[@marg1661]

I love those descriptions so much

[@siddheshgooptu]

Like everyone else in the comment section, I came running as soon as I saw the notification that said you'd uploaded a Schubert piano trio! Coupled with your great analysis of the piece and your comment about listening for structure, this video is definitely going into my favourites!

[@KaniaWijayanti]

Schubert will always deserve a special place in my heart and I couldn't agree more with you about Schiff's and Perenyi's rendition. As much as I repect and love the two masters, this rendition is far superior and brings justice to Schubert's heavenly qualities.

[@pichuliux2]

Dear Mr. Xiangyi Kumar , thank you very much for posting this masterpiece, this trio is a miracle!

[@DavidPNeff]

This is my favorite piano trio. I love watching the score and reading your in depth notes. I'm trying to learn this piece and the notes are hugely helpful.

[@nicholasjeremy3960]

I just realized that the arpeggio accompaniment in the return of the theme of mvt 2 in mvt 4 (33:42) is actually taken from 31:13 in the C section!

[@cw9555]

This is a beautiful piece by Schubert

[@marcap1000]

"But Schubert’s always twilit genius, death- touched, he liked above all to seek where he lifts to the loftiest ex- pression a certain only half-defined but inescapable destiny of solitude...." as in this incomparable Andante con moto.... (Thomas Mann's Doktor Faustus, chap. IX). Thank you so much for sharing

[@cesarleiva2443]

First movement is breathtaking!!

[@jessicachiu5953]

4:55 sounds really like his impromptu op.90 no.4~it's so beautiful~~♡

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

A combination of no 4 and no 2 too perhaps?

[@LukeZX4]

I have such a massive sweet spot for the piano trio genre as a whole. Maybe because it's simply due to the piano, or how generally the violin doesn't get TOO much emphasis, because I cannot say the same for string quartets. Even compositions that are decidedly mediocre but happen to be a piano trio get so many repeated listenings out of me. I adore this trio and Trio Wanderer, so thank you for giving your thoughts on it. Also, a small mistake: the MVT IV should begin at 28:50, rather than 28:24.

[@samchua6758]

Hey do you have any recommendations for piano trio pieces

[@ytyt3922]

The violin obviously doesn’t get as much emphasis here because it is a PIANO trio.

[@adammiller6299]

@@samchua6758 I'm enjoying all of Beethoven's piano trios. I love the Archduke and the Ghost Trio, in particular. Here's a link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZDPdWuLna10e6M

[@moforibalait]

Thank you for the complete post

[@emilynightingale7758]

thank you so much for the analysis and time examples in the description. As I am studying this piece as part of my A-level music course, this is really helpful. Thank you.

[@pf_jun]

Impeccable... Thank you for uploading!

[@stack72]

It's really nice to see that you're posting stuff regularly again! I really like this one.

[@georgenorris2657]

Best piano trio playing I have ever heard I think. Beautiful playing and such a beautiful piece!

[@aperson6934]

Listen to the Beaux Arts Trio. You'll love it!

[@georgenorris2657]

That finale is beyond startling!

[@dibaldgyfm9933]

The Trio Wanderer is a French piano trio made up of Vincent Coq piano, Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian (since 1995, replacing Guillaume Sutre) violin and Raphaël Pidoux cello. Trio Wanderer’s members were all graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris.

[@tam8321]

12:22 thème 1 14:12 thème 2 15:19 passage rude 17:25 passage affolé 12:15 début 12:55 cloches

[@philip.stigaard]

21:15 this is the best coda ever

[@nicholasjeremy3960]

3:54 reminds me of his impromptu op. 90 no. 4

[@12321dantheman]

heard the theme around 12:17 in the film barry lyndon, didn't realise it gets developed so beautifully beyond that

[@АлександрЯрков-ш2з]

Bravo bravo bravo genial music super

[@ytyt3922]

Love your channel. I would love for you to post the Mendelssohn D minor piano trio. Would be curious to read your take on it. And thank you for the Schubert score!

[@doublesharp4325]

Beautiful performance. I only wish it had the even better original uncut version of the finale, with the contrapuntal combination of the slow movement theme with the repeated-notes motif. :)

[@Cubanbearnyc]

....What a mind that of Schubert !!!

[@wodzimierzwosimieta2758]

3:53 - 4th impromptu op.90?

[@womaner1004]

I think so too

[@tejasnair3399]

Love the reference to the minuet from Haydn’s Symphony No. 23 in the Scherzo movement.

[@johnchessant3012]

Very nice!

[@newcjon]

Jeez this is IMMENSE!

[@namsonangthai5234]

Absolutely love section 12:17

[@tguiot]

I found Trio Wanderer to be a good reference in most of the piano trio litterature. Excellent choice for this Schubert!

[@aperson6934]

I agree. I'd also highly recommend the Beaux Arts Trio. My piano teacher studied with the lead pianist Menahem Pressler and introduced me to them. I can't listen to piano trios the same anymore.

[@pavelvishnevsky6315]

After listening to this, I was struck by your comment: "Schiff/Perenyi is too piano-ey, while the recent Mutter/Trifonov is far, far too violin-centric. This recording is close to perfect" Yes, I agree.

[@limesquared]

Twelve minutes in-yes! Wonderful!

[@SpaghettiToaster]

This trio is very good!

[@tobiaszeller4323]

3:42 op 90 impromtus, no 4, in a-flat major?

[@isakhungnes4416]

I know this is none of my business or anything, but I have followed your channel a couple of years now, and the question starts to bug me: What is your profession?

[@BrianPaick]

He has a law degree from Cambridge, and I think he's based in Singapore. (He's mentioned this in previous comments.)

[@bhastro9959]

@@BrianPaick - it seems he is actually a professional classical-music KZbinr. And probably the best.

[@PushkaryovVsevolod]

Гениально!

[@ivankuligovskii5046]

13:04 Hello from G.Pergolesi 😁

[@vishnuhalikere2151]

17:26 sounds so dvorak-like to me in the melody don't know why it just does

[@DavidArdittiComposer]

It does. It’s like all of Dvorak comes out of this theme. Technically what it is is a repeated exchanging of minor for its relative major in root position chords - a thing that does not occur much in music before this time. It’s a Dvorak signature.

[@okb0ss336]

Interesting that no one has mentioned the call forward at 1:20 to the same harmonic and melodic outline at 12:44

[@KadirPeker]

Wonderfully annotated.

[@JlK-k3x]

This video made my day

[@kelvinluk27]

What, Ashish uploading a trio? What next, a Bartok String Quartet? (P.S. are you gonna do any late Scriabin or Haydn?)

[@Superphilipp]

+1 for late Skriabin. It's some of the most mesmerizing music that I know.

[@klop4228]

First time I've heard this piece. What strikes me is how balanced everything sounds - I don't know if that's Schubert or the recording. I'm not a fan of the Piano Trio as an ensemble because of how inherently unbalanced it is, pitting an instrument with a full range against a high and low one (where the low one can also take middle register by sacrificing the lower one). Oddly, even a duet where one side is a piano works better. The other thing I really like about this piece is that I didn't notice any of Schubert's distinctive timewasting, which is a good thing. Strikes me as odd that Schumann liked how long the Great C Major is, given that (at least in the first movement) a lot of that is achieved by timewasting. Don't get me wrong - I love the symphony - but when you repeat the same figure over and over with miniscule changes to the chord it starts to sound a bit stuck. If I have any complaints about the piece itself, it's that I didn't realised how long the exposition was in the last movement, and it felt like it could have ended much sooner. Just my first impression - will probably change on my next listening. If I have any complaints about the performance, then it's the lack of repeat in the first movement (almost invariably the repeat will help, because it sets up the rule of three with the recapitulation, and also because it gives the audience the material twice, so they can learn the music that's about to be developed - especially important on a first listening), and the pizzicato. Overall, loved it on a first listening, and will likely listen again.

[@mikesimpson3207]

Maybe it's just how the dice have fallen as far as what recordings I've been exposed to, but I'm confused as to why nobody seems to repeat the expositions in Schubert. I would have assumed he left his repeats out himself if the score wasn't in front of me. I guess it might be because his first movements tend to skew a little long, but the same could be said of Beethoven, and I hardly ever hear a Beethoven recording without repeats. This performance is great, but the balance on the first movement is so back-heavy, what with the long development and fairly substantial coda, which would normally be offset by the relatively long exposition, but here (and in other recordings of other pieces, as I've said) the exposition is essentially half the length. Also, the repeat of the exposition has an important function in the form, hammering all the important bits into the listener's head so that they can be easily recognized and compared to their reappearance in the second half. Why short-change Schubert like that, when most recordings of Haydn/Mozart/Beethoven/etc. repeat the exposition?

[@gervaisfrykman266]

I whip it back to the start at the double bar.

[@michielvaneechoutte3685]

KZbin's adds shoud be banned from youtube for trying to push CRAP amidsth such divine melodies!

[@mathieuwilson2985]

I do not listen to a lot of classical music... and its weird that Stan ( by Eminem ) brought me here. It is now my fourth time in a row listening to this mix. I could say ( with reserve ) that this is the definition of musical perfection.

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

2:38 would it be appropriate to say that here, the semitone descent/ascent reveals itself to be a quote of Ave Maria?

[@bennygotthard6641]

Schubert at its finest.

[@stevemsteven6103]

2:38 I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that this sounds like Ave Maria.

[@wodzimierzwosimieta2758]

Thanks, now I can't unhear it

[@shechren]

this is the best piano trio ever. why was you fell down early, Franz? if you'd skill about counterpoint, probably i think you could be over your idol, Beethoven.

[@steffen5121]

Merry 1. Advent folks!

[@star_0406]

00:00 00:00 12:15 12:15 22:01 22:01 28:48 28:48

[@catherinejones9396]

Such a pretty work. piano trios played as well as this are delightful listening. This trio is very good-who are they? I have been wondering after hearing them with one of the Mendelssohn trios. Thank you for the download.

[@aaronpitts3077]

I found this through the #47shift ☘️🍀☘️

[@seansmith6255]

Oh presentable liberty

[@seansmith6255]

This comment was made before my viewing of barry lyndon

[@tango_doggy]

Here from Presentable Liberty

[@seansmith6255]

Where I found it But now It's synonymous with barry lyndon Which is a perfect movie

[@steffen5121]

What is your favourite composer, Ashish?

[@wantondon9630]

BOOM, BABY !

[@Roh0io]

Ashish I've been meaning to ask you something. Are you from India? Cuz Ashish kumar is a typical indian name

[@samchua6758]

Yes but xiangyi sounds Singaporean maybe

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

Singapore.

[@declamatory]

Uh, oh! They missed the repeat at 3:32!

[@nicb4589]

Lyle Waller It’s conventional to omit repeats in some circumstances. Schubert is known for long his compositions, so perhaps the recording ensemble decided to spare us the time.

[@declamatory]

@@nicb4589- Actually, it's NOT conventional to skip repeats except on D.S.s and D.C.s. If the group had intended to "spare" us some time, perhaps it should have not have even bothered recording the piece.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

Amen Lyle! I think leaving out repeats, especially in sonata form movements is the worst possible offence one can commit to the structure of a piece.

[@trutwijd]

A little bird dies every time a Schubert repeat is skipped. ;) 42 minutes tho, can't say I blame em.

[@Sam-gx2ti]

@@declamatory No, Nic is right. Hans von Bülow once told a student working on a Beethoven piece that composers wrote repeats into the music the way that people write "Faithfully/Sincerely yours" at the end of a letter, and in his book After the Golden Age, Kenneth Hamilton explores the romantic practise of omitting repeats in well-known pieces as a performance decision. Many if not most musicians of the romantic era and before would probably scoff at the idea that one shouldn't bother playing a piece at all if they're not to be following every mark on the score.

[@fatimacanche9081]

Que buen trio

[@chagok_s2]

헐 2악장 저 유명한 멜로디가 이 곡이었다니,,,,

[@isaacvaldez7216]

12min 10 sec is my favorite part

[@enter3eun800]

3:45 부터 너무 아름답다

[@nathanielkroeger9769]

The chord progression at 00:55 reminds me of the opening bars of movement 3 of Schubert's Sonata 18 ( 26:55 in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/mInCep13aN2SqNk )

[@calebhu6383]

3:54, 38:28, 41:02

[@bvbwv3]

May I ask who the members are of this heavenly group?

[@crobatchoppurple8728]

Has the second movement theme appeared elsewhere? Sounds awfully familiar

[@paraline1532]

in the film the mechanic I think

[@tango_doggy]

Credits of the game Presentable Liberty

[@박범준-p5l]

12:22 Berry lyndon!

[@seansmith6255]

Such an underated film One of kubricks bests

[@liammiller1472]

15:56 Charlotte

[@fatimacanche9081]

Linda musica

[@dragonlazer0649]

12:15

[@Pakkens_Backyard]

What is this piano difficulty D: There are some really awkward stuff in there DDD:

[@Farahmand1010]

Œuvre immortelle

[@iggyrock8327]

✌️👏

[@nicosuarez6962]

12:17 All here comes for this... ...For The Mechanic (2011)

[@Schleiermacher1000]

Sorry, I'm missing a few repetitions.

[@annnlonggg]

The five-note motive of T3* in Mvt. 1 kind of re-iterates 'Ave Maria'.

[@selforche2381]

한국인은 없는것인가? 2악장 완전좋은데ㅠ