Eva BINDERE, violin

Kristīne BLAUMANE, cello

Reinis ZARIŅŠ, piano 

After a lengthy interval, a reunion with the outstanding Trio Palladio – violinist Eva Bindere, cellist Kristīne Blaumane and pianist Reinis Zariņš – awaits us at Cēsis Concert Hall.

This time around, the trio is presenting an emotional programme, its title – ‘Dumky’ – laden with meaning. Dumka, a musical term borrowed from the Ukrainian language (literally – a thought), is a lyrical Ukrainian or Polish folk song or instrumental piece in which the general elegiac mood is occasionally unexpectedly interrupted by bursts of joyful exuberance.

The programme opens with ‘Elegy’, a new piece for piano, violin and cello by the legendary Polish composer Zygmunt Krauze. The opus was written especially for the great ensemble of Latvian musicians that is Trio Palladio and will see its world premiere in Cēsis.

‘An elegy is a song of mourning but in this piece it takes on the form not of lament and grief but rather of a cry of the soul, pain and anger. War is perpetual – if not in this part of the world then in another. And yet it hurts more when fighting goes on so close to your home. The song quotes a slightly adapted yet authentic melody from the ancient Ruthenia, the land that encompassed parts of the modern-day Russia, Hungary, Poland, Austria and Ukraine for centuries,’ the composer Zygmunt Krauze says of the philosophical meaning of the piece he wrote for Trio Palladio.

Krauze’s reflection on events in Europe and the world is followed by Mieczysław Weinberg’s Piano trio Op. 24, written in 1945 when the composer had been forced to leave his Polish Jewish family behind, his heart filled with premonition of impending tragedy.

The emotional musical thread will then lead us to the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák and his Trio Op. 90 ‘Dumky’, its contradictory, vividly contrasting elements fitting well into the cohesive profoundly dramatic yet life-affirming thematic musical fabric of the programme presented by Trio Palladio.

Formed in 2015, Trio Palladio brings together three well-known soloists, passionate chamber musicians and recognised recording artists – the violinist Eva Bindere, cellist Kristīne Blaumane and pianist Reinis Zariņš. The trio mount conceptual programmes defined by a wealth of stylistic diversity, performing music from all ages yet placing a special focus on works by Latvian and Baltic composers. In 2018, Trio Palladio enjoyed their first artistic residency at Cēsis Concert Hall and have performed in Poland, England, Scotland and throughout Latvia. The trio had their debut at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2018 to outstanding reviews. In 2020, the trio’s critically acclaimed debut album of works by Pēteris Vasks was named Editor’s Choice in the prestigious Gramophone Magazine.