Prometheus Trio and Fine Arts Quartet open the chamber music season

Prometheus Trio – Timothy Klabunde violin – Stefanie Jacob piano – Scott Tisdel cello

The Prometheus Trio (pianist Stefanie Jacob, violinist Timothy Klabunde and cellist Scott Tisdel) open their season with a concert at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music at 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 30, and Tuesday, October 1. The session features a very early Debussy, a late Schubert and a rarely heard early 20th-century work by Rebecca Clarke.

Debussy’s Piano Trio in G major, written at age 17, before Debussy had developed an impressionist palette, has been identified by one critic as good for a parlor game – since no one will recognize the creator. The work is pleasantly romantic within the tradition of late 19th century classical music. Still, the work explores variations in key and tempo that support a complex interchange among the members of the trio.

Rebecca Clarke

Rebecca Clarke wrote few compositions –  a woman trapped within her own and society’s attitude toward female composers. This Piano Trio is a bright, lyrical work in a style reminiscent of Ernest Bloch. Innovative passages signal that this is not 19th century composition, but the framework fits well within mainstream classical music. According to Jacob, the work features “sparkling arpeggiated figures,” “off-beat pizzicati,” “chorale-like texture” and is creative throughout.

Schubert’s Piano Trio in B-flat delivers both trademark gorgeous melodies and sophisticated, assured development. Jacob’s notes quote Robert Schumann – “one glance at Shubert’s Trio – and the troubles of our human experience disappear and all the world is fresh and bright again.”

In December, Matthew Annin, principal French horn player with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, will join the trio. Annin will join Jacob and Klabunde in a Beethoven trio, then pair with Tisdel in a duo for horn and cello by contemporary American composer David Amram. February will feature little known 20th century composer Hans Gal in a cheerful Variations on a Viennese Drinking Song. The final concert in April will present a trio arrangement of Schoenberg’s romantically charged Verklarte Nacht. Schoenberg. Heard frequently in string sextet and chamber version, this transcription moves many roles to the piano without – Jacob insists – feeling like a reduction of the work.

For season details visit the Prometheus web page or call the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (1584 North Prospect Avenue) at 414-276-5760 to purchase tickets.

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