The majority of Schumann's chamber music was composed in a single year, 1842: three string quartets, a piano quintet and quartet, and four fantasy pieces for piano trio. For his first “real” piano trio, however, the audience had to wait another five years: the Piano Trio in D minor, completed in 1847, was admittedly the fruit of hard times. The work bears the influence of Mendelssohn's trio of the same key, written nearly 10 years earlier, as well as clearly shows the Schumanns’ intensive counterpoint studies in action – Clara also completed her own piano trio in G minor around this time. Schumann wrote his Piano Trio in G minor three years later, which has almost completely disappeared from the repertoire; as with all the composer's late chamber works, many critics suggested that it shows a decline in creativity – its performance by Dénes Várjon, Antje Weithaas and Marie-Elisabeth Hecker will reveal how unjust this verdict is.

Photo credits: Pilvax Studio, Kaupo Kikkas, Harald Hoffmann, Iréne Zandel