Ravel, Saint-Saens & Fauré: a trio of beautiful Piano Trios

Ravel’s Piano Trio is, in my opinion, the most beautiful piece in his entire oeuvre.

This work has fascinated me since my first listen. There is just so much delicacy and sophistication in the way the instruments play along -on top and even against- each other, that its complexity has kept me in awe to this day.

Since then, I must confess I have a thing about Piano Trios in general and, in particular, about Piano Trios written by French composers. Discovering Ravel’s led me to Fauré’s, which finally led me to Saint-Saens’.

Each one of them possesses its particular kind of beauty, a trait that could only be achieved by the technical proficiency of each composer, absolute masters of their craft, especially considering the challenge of writing music for such a special mixture of instruments.

A Piano Trio embodies a paradoxical entity: on one hand it seems rather simple, but on the other it represents an astonishingly difficult task. The piano and the violin compete for the lead, and the cello also struggles to find a way to stand out while it enacts as the eventual provider of low end. Additionally, if the violin and the cello play together, they can often gain notoriety against the piano. At other instances, if you give too much predominance to the piano, then the piece may come off as a piano work with the rest of the instruments working as mere accompanists.

I could continue setting several escenarios that makes writing for these instruments such a complex endeavor. The greatness of these composers is that they have managed to overcome those problems while delighting you with the final result.

It is natural to compare these trios. From my perspective, Saint-Saens’ are the most rhythmic and joyful (written with thirty years in between), Fauré’s the most introspective (composed at the end of his life, under illness and fatigue), and Ravel’s the most sentimental and colorful (due to the effects he imbued this work with). In the end, each one of them is highly distinctive and wonderful in their unique ways.

Piano trios are great to hear because they are usually short and catchy. I really hope you can listen to these marvelous, tiny masterpieces. Each one of them embodies rewarding experiences in beauty.