The Hague String Trio

Concert Programmes

2022/2023

Concert programme with pianist

Ksenia Kouzmenko

Czech Romance

Dvořák originally composed his Terzetto for the unusual combination of two violins and viola in order to be able to play it with friends. This arrangement is for the more common string trio combination of violin, viola and cello. His second and last piano quartet was written in just over a month and has become one of the most loved works in the chamber music repertoire. 

Dvořák was teacher, mentor and father-in-law to Josef Suk, his junior by more than 30 years. Suk composed his first piano quartet, his opus 1, under Dvořák’s guidance. Novák was also a highly talented student of Dvořák.

Antonín Dvořák  Terzetto in C, op. 74, B. 148     

Josef Suk  Piano Quartet in A minor, op. 1 

   *****

Vítezslav Novák  Piece for piano solo (t.b.a.) 

Antonín Dvořák  Piano Quartet no. 2 in E flat major, op. 87 

I

Concert programme with oboist

Pauline Oostenrijk

Edward Elgar wrote his charming Andante and Allegro at a young age and yet the manuscript has only recently been published. Beethoven’s joyous string trio opus 9 nr 1 is the third of the five string trios he composed as a young man, recently arrived in Vienna to study with Haydn. Another youthful composition, Benjamin Britten wrote his colourful and brilliant Phantasy Quartet as a student of nineteen at the Royal College of Music. 

The concert is brought to a close with the famous oboe quartet of Mozart, considered to be one of his greatest compositions.

Edward Elgar  Andante and Allegro 

Ludwig v Beethoven String Trio op. 9 no. 1 in G major      

                        *****

Benjamin Britten  Phantasy Quartet op. 2 

W. A. Mozart  Oboe quartet in F major, KV 370 

Concert Programmes

2021/2022

Programmes for string trio

Persecuted composers and classical masters

Schubert en Beethoven need little introduction; next to these well known, classical masters The Hague String Trio perform three of the works they recorded for their CD of works by persecuted Jewish composers titled ‘After The Darkness'. Krása en Kattenburg had composed outstanding music before their lives were cut short far too soon. Similarly Weinberg, who spent his life in exile and lost many relatives in the war, left behind an impressive oeuvre. All of these composers can be seen as masters in their own right.

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Franz Schubert Triosatz in B flat major, D. 471

Hans Krása  Tanec (Terezín 1943)

Mieczysław Weinberg String Trio op. 48

*****

Dick Kattenburg Trio à cordes

Ludwig van Beethoven String Trio in C minor, op. 9 nr 3

Hungarian Rhapsody

Feel the Hungarian warmth in Leo Weiner’s romantic string trio and the temperament in Kodály’s Intermezzo and Dohnányi’s Serenade, one of the highlights of the string trio repertoire. Haydn lived for many years in the palace and in the service of the Esterházy family in Hungary during which he produced a substantial number of compositions.

Joseph Haydn Divertimento Hob. XI:109 in C major

Leó Weiner String Trio in G minor, op. 6  

*****

Zoltán Kodály Intermezzo 

Ernst von Dohnányi Serenade in C major, op. 10  

Celebrating Women!

Join the trio on a journey of discovery of extraordinary music by female composers! Ethel Smyth was a progressive. She moved in the highest cultural circles in Germany and was a determined social activist, notably as a leading figure in women’s suffrage. Her string trio takes us back to the world and sounds of Brahms. In addition, five delightful miniatures from the Dutch composer Wegener will be heard, an early romantic style trio by the 20th century Australian Hyde, a bewitching combination of Serbian folk music and medieval Byzantine church music by Mariç and short, punchy pieces of minimal music by the American contemporary composer Reynolds.

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Ljubica Mariç Archaia 

Emmy Frensel Wegener Suite

Miriam Hyde  String Trio

*****

Belinda Reynolds Husband & TV on the Curb 

Ethel Smyth String Trio in D, op. 6  

Concert programmes with pianist

Ksenia Kouzmenko

Hidden Passions

Mozart’s piano quartet in G minor is possibly the first major composition for this instrumental combination and he reserved his use of this key for his most turbulent musical ideas. Written for The Hague String Trio, Leo Samama’s Trio Passionata will receive its world première performance. Brahms’ piano quartet in C minor, also known as the Werther Quartet after Goethe’s ‘Die Leiden des jungen Werthers’ will close the concert. On sending the manuscript to his publisher he wrote, “On the cover you must have a picture, namely a head with a pistol to it” referring to the suicidal Werther and his hopeless love for a married woman. The passionate music of this piano quartet came directly as a result of Brahms’ great love for the unreachable Clara Schumann. 

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Quartet nr. 1 in G minor, KV 478 

Leo Samama Trio Passionata (2019) 

(dedicated to The Hague String Trio)

*****

Johannes Brahms Piano Quartet in C minor, op. 60

​

Czech Romance

Dvořák wrote his second and last piano quartet in just over a month and it has become one of the most loved works in the chamber music repertoire. He was teacher, mentor and father-in-law to Josef Suk, his junior by more than 30 years. Suk composed his first piano quartet, his opus 1, under Dvořák’s guidance. Novák was also a highly talented student of Dvořák. Martinů, the youngest of this group, is a composer who shouldn’t be left out of any Czech programme. His Madrigals were inspired by both Mozart’s duos and Martinů’s love for the English madrigal.or had.

Bohuslav Martinů 2 Madrigals for violin and viola, H.313

Josef Suk Piano Quartet in A minor, op. 1

*****

Vítezslav Novák Piece for piano solo  (t.b.a.)

Antonín Dvořák  Piano Quartet no. 2 in E flat major, op. 87, B.162

​

Concert programme with oboist

Pauline Oostenrijk

Edward Elgar wrote his charming Andante and Allegro at a young age and yet the manuscript was only recently published. The much better known and brilliant Phantasy Quartet of his fellow country-man Benjamin Britten was also written early in his career just as Beethoven’s delightful Serenade for string trio. The concert is brought to a close with the famous oboe quartet of Mozart, considered to be one of his greatest compositions.

Edward Elgar Andante and Allegro

Ludwig van Beethoven Serenade in D major, op. 8 

*****

Benjamin Britten Phantasy Quartet op. 2 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  Oboe Quartet in F major, KV 370

One hour

concert programmes

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On request all the above programmes can be adapted to a concert of an hour. In addition we would like to offer two extra programmes for string trio alone which can be found described below.

Viennese Whirl!

A programme perfectly suited for a New Years Concert or a light programme at any time of the year. Beethoven’s delightful Serenade combined with charming vignettes by Kreisler en sparkling waltzes by Strauss will guarantee a concert with a smile!

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Ludwig van Beethoven  Serenade in D major, op. 8

Fritz Kreisler Alt-Wiener Tanzen 

Liebesfreud

Liebesleid

Schön Rosmarin

Johann Strauss II Künstlerleben op. 316 

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After the Darkness

The trio’s successful CD After The Darkness, released in 2019, was devoted to bringing rarely heard or forgotten works by persecuted Jewish composers back to life. This remarkable programme closes with Kaddish (literally ‘holy’), a hymn and one of the most important prayers in the Jewish liturgy.

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Gideon Klein String Trio (Terezín 1944)

Hans Krása Tanec (Terezín 1943)

Dick Kattenburg Trio à cordes

Mieczysław Weinberg String Trio op. 48 

Maurice Ravel Kaddish (arr. Marijn van Prooijen)