44. The Unknowns

Arensky: Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32 Tournier: Sonatine for harp, Op. 30 Classical music definitely has its stars, and Beethoven is arguably the biggest. But classical music has its lesser-knowns, too. In this program we’ll listen to two composers who may not have achieved Beethoven’s fame, but who have nonetheless earned a lasting place in the chamber music repertory. Sometimes writing for an instrument that doesn’t have a big repertoire can earn a non-celebrity composer a permanent place on the recital stage. Such is the case with Tournier’s Sonatine. A harpist married to another harpist, Tourier knew the instrument well and had a major hand in developing new techniques and expanding its repertoire. The Arensky Trio is one of this little-known Russian composer’s most-performed works. The New Grove dictionary calls it one of his best, too, and notes the influence of Mendelssohn’s own piano trio, as well as the work’s elegiac third movement, written in homage to the cellist Davidov.