Elegy for
Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 23 Josef
Suk
Josef Suk was not simply one of Antonín Dvorák's favorite
students at the Prague Conservatory; in 1898, Suk married Dvorák's daughter
Otilie. For forty years, Suk was a
violinist in the Czech Quartet, yet he wrote surprisingly little chamber music
himself. A good deal of his chamber
music dates from his years as a student (1885-1892) at the Prague Conservatory,
where he also would spend the last dozen years of his life teaching composition
and serving as rector.
Around
the time of his marriage to Otilie, Suk discovered the work of the Czech poet
and novelist Julius Zeyer (1841-1901).
The melancholy mood of Zeyer's writings, coupled with Suk's
identification of himself and Otilie with Zeyer's legendary young couple Radúz
and Mahulena, had a strong influence on the young composer. By the time Zeyer died on
January 29, 1901, Suk had already based a number of works on poems or stories
of the poet, most notably the orchestral suite Pohádka, Op. 16. In 1902, a public festival was arranged in
Prague to honor the memory of Zeyer; Suk was invited to contribute. Originally, the Elegy, Op. 23 was scored for
violin, cello, and harmonium, accompanied by string quartet and harp. The same year, Suk arranged the work for
violin, cello, and piano. Jupiter Trio
Classical Music | Music for Trio
Josef Suk
Elegy for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 23 Play
Recorded on 02/15/2005, uploaded on 01/18/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Elegy for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 23 Josef Suk
Josef Suk was not simply one of Antonín Dvorák's favorite students at the Prague Conservatory; in 1898, Suk married Dvorák's daughter Otilie. For forty years, Suk was a violinist in the Czech Quartet, yet he wrote surprisingly little chamber music himself. A good deal of his chamber music dates from his years as a student (1885-1892) at the Prague Conservatory, where he also would spend the last dozen years of his life teaching composition and serving as rector.
Around the time of his marriage to Otilie, Suk discovered the work of the Czech poet and novelist Julius Zeyer (1841-1901). The melancholy mood of Zeyer's writings, coupled with Suk's identification of himself and Otilie with Zeyer's legendary young couple Radúz and Mahulena, had a strong influence on the young composer. By the time Zeyer died on January 29, 1901, Suk had already based a number of works on poems or stories of the poet, most notably the orchestral suite Pohádka, Op. 16. In 1902, a public festival was arranged in Prague to honor the memory of Zeyer; Suk was invited to contribute. Originally, the Elegy, Op. 23 was scored for violin, cello, and harmonium, accompanied by string quartet and harp. The same year, Suk arranged the work for violin, cello, and piano. Jupiter Trio
Performances by same musician(s)
Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in B-flat Major, Op. 11
Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello No. 2 in e minor, Op. 67
Trio No. 1 for Piano, Violin and Cello in g minor, “Trio Elegiaque”
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