Colours

Called to the battlefront in 1914, Maurice Ravel wrote this remarkable work in a great hurry. In a letter to Stravinsky, he confided that this hurried departure pushed him to write in 5 weeks a work that should have taken 5 months. The zeal and urgency of the writing have led to one of the most innovative and coloured pieces in the history of chamber music.

Two early works of Belgian composers complete the programme. Joseph Jongen wrote his first Piano Trio in B Minor Op. 1 in 1897 and dedicated it to his father. Flashbacks to German romanticism and French impressionism are scattered throughout this great work, which is in three movements.

Unfortunately, the music of Frits Celis is often underappreciated and not played enough. Trio Khaldei wants to give this Belgian composer the place he deserves. Frits Celis wrote his Trio in 1958. This fifth opus – one of his first compositions – already contains all of the qualities to be found in his later works: a very strong rhythmic tension and clear structure, but above all, a marvellous wide palette of timbres.