Trio Conté

Two 19th century piano trio masterpieces by Dvořák and Mendelssohn.

Named after Nicolas-Jaques Conté, inventor of the modern pencil and Conté crayons, Trio Conté’s Rollin Zhao (violin), Joshua Dema (cello) and Chai Jie Low (piano) explore the vibrant sound worlds of two iconic Romantic composers working at the height of their mastery of the piano trio repertoire.

Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op.66 opens with restless, turbulent energy and only finds resolution in the finale, where a hidden chorale, drawn from Bach’s chorale 'Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir', returns in the coda to bring the work to a joyous close. Dvořák's Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op.65, written weeks after his mother's death, begins with an unsettling musical question mark. Its Czech-inflected furiant, and wistful slow movement circle back in the triumphant finale, which recalls the work's opening argument in radiant light.