Gryphon Trio Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin Pushing the boundaries of chamber mu sic, Roman Borys, cello the Trio has commissioned and pre miered Jamie Parker, piano over fi fty new works from established and emerging composers around the world, Having impressed international audiences and has collaborated on spe cial projects and the press with their highly re fi ned, with clarinetist James Campbell, actor dy namic performances, the Gry phon Trio Co lin Fox, choreographer David Earle, and has fi rmly established itself as one of the a host of jazz luminaries at Lula Lounge, world’s preeminent piano trios. With a Toronto’s leading venue for jazz and world rep ertoire that ranges from the traditional music. Their most ambitious undertaking to the contemporary and from European to date is a groundbreaking multimedia classicism to modern-day multimedia, the production of composer Christos Hatzis’s Gryphons are committed to redefi ning epic work Constantinople, which they chamber music for the 21st century. 2 have brought to audiences across North in the Best Classical Album: Solo and Ame rica and at the Royal Opera House in Chamber Music category. This was the London. Trio’s second Juno Award, having previ- ously won for their 2004 release Cana - The ensemble-in-residence at Music dian Premieres, featuring new works by TO RONTO for ten years, the Gryphon leading Canadian composers. Trio tours extensively throughout North Ame rica and Europe. The group’s fl ag- Deeply committed to the education of the ship out reach project Listen Up! was next generations of audiences and per- launched in the 2010-11 season. Created formers alike, the Gryphons take time out by the Trio in collaboration with com- of their busy touring schedule to conduct poser Andrew Staniland and music edu- masterclasses and workshops at univer- cator Rob Kapi low, Listen Up! involves sities and conservatories across North entire communities in the creation of a Ame rica, and are Artists-in-Residence at new work for choir and piano trio. The the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Mu - Gryphon Trio is currently planning Listen sic. In addition to Listen Up!, the Trio’s Up! projects throu gh out Canada with edu cational initiatives include a series of the intent of brin ging new listeners to in-depth lecture performances with com- Clas sical music. poser Gary Kulesha that examine the art of chamber music through the cen tur- The Trio’s thirteen celebrated recordings ies, and the Young Composers Pro gram on the Analekta label are an encyclo pedia at Toronto’s Claude Watson Arts High of works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, School. Schubert, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Lalo, Shostakovich, and Piazzolla. Their most Gryphon cellist Roman Borys is entering recent recording of piano trios by Ludwig his fi fth season as Artistic Director of the van Beethoven was acknowledged with Ottawa International Chamber Music Fes- a coveted Juno Award from Canadian tival, where Annalee Patipatanakoon and Aca demy of Recording Arts and Sciences Jamie Parker serve as the OICMS’s Artistic Advisors. 3 Gryphon Trio Annalee Patipatanakoon, violon si bien en Amérique du Nord qu’au Royal Roman Borys, violoncelle Opera House de Londres. Jamie Parker, piano Ensemble en résidence à Music TORON TO En séduisant public et critique avec ses pendant dix ans, le Gryphon Trio se pro - interprétations extrêmement raffi nées et duit lors de nombreuses tournées en dynamiques, le Gryphon Trio s’est ferme- Amé rique du Nord et en Europe. Le pro- ment établi en tant que l’un des trios jet édu catif phare du groupe, Listen Up!, avec piano les plus importants sur la scè - a été lancé lors de la saison 2010-11 à ne internationale. Avec un répertoire tra- Almonte, en Ontario. Créé par le Trio en ditionnel aussi bien que contemporain, col laboration avec le compositeur Andrew évoquant aussi bien le classicisme euro- Staniland et le pédagogue Rob Kapilow péen que le multimédia d’aujourd’hui, le de What Makes it Great?, Listen Up! per- Gryphon Trio est convaincu de la néces- met à une école entière de travailler à la sité de redéfi nir la musique de chambre création d’une œuvre pour chœur et trio au 21e siècle. avec piano. Repoussant les limites de la musique de Les 13 enregistrements salués du Trio chambre, le Gryphon Trio a commandé et sous étiquette Analekta se veulent une créé plus de 50 œuvres de composi teurs encyclopédie d’œuvres signées Haydn, établis ou émergents d’un peu par tout Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendels- dans le monde, et collaboré à des pro - sohn, Dvorak, Lalo, Chostakovitch et Piaz- jets spéciaux avec le clarinettiste James zolla. Son enregistrement 2011 des trios Campbell, l’acteur Colin Fox, le cho ré gra - avec piano de Ludwig van Beethoven s’est phe David Earle et nombre de vedettes mérité le convoité Juno de la Canadian du jazz au Lula Lounge de To ronto. Enfi n, Aca demy of Recording Arts and Sciences l’une des collaborations les plus auda - dans la catégorie « meilleur album classi- cieuses du Gryphon Trio reste Cons tan ti- que : solo ou musique de chambre ». Ce nople de Christos Hatzis, présentée aus - prix Juno était le second décerné au Trio, 4 qui avait déjà obtenu en 2004 le prix pour Création d’œuvres canadiennes, mettant en lumière de nouvelles œuvres de compositeurs canadiens importants. Convaincu de la nécessité d’investir dans l’éducation des interprètes et du public de demain, le Gryphon Trio continue de dé gager des plages de son horaire de tour née chargé afi n d’offrir des cours de maî tre dans des écoles et universités par - tout en Amérique du Nord, en plus d’être artiste en résidence à la faculté de musi- que de l’Université de Toronto. En plus du programme Listen Up!, le Trio a également présenté une série de conférences-con cert approfondies avec le com positeur Gary Kulesha abordant l’art de la musique de chambre au fi l des siècles et a pris part au programme pour jeunes compositeurs du Claude Watson Arts High School de Toronto. Le violoncelliste du Gryphon Trio Roman Borys complète sa cinquième saison en tant que directeur artistique du Festival de musique de chambre d’Ottawa. Anna- lee Patipatanakoon et Jamie Parker sont conseillers artistiques de l’organisation. 5 The piano trio gained popularity in the If Beethoven’s Op. 1 trios demonstrate second half of the 18th century with the a young musician still infl uenced by introduction of the pianoforte. The new Haydn’s teachings, then the trios of Op. instrument, more expressive than its pre - 70 are doubly impressive for the skill decessors, thrilled musicians and fans with which the musician from Bonn tran- alike. Composers rushed to create works scends these lessons in works imbued showcasing its possibilities re sulting in with theatricality (“Ghost” Trio), and the creation of chamber mu sic intend- sub tlety of emotion (Op. 70, No. 2). The ed for performance within the family or “Archduke” Trio, composed just three among friends. years later, is a true masterpiece. Fea- tu ring a particularly dense structure in Mozart composed half a dozen works for which the chords become interior voices, the new ensemble throughout his career. it succeeds in establishing an expressive 254 An early attempt, the Divertimento K. balance and dialogue between the piano 1776 from , might be considered a so na- and strings. ta for accompanied piano, the violin con - ver sing with the pianist’s right hand and Schubert waited until the last year of his the cello supporting the left. Later works short life to offer two highlights of the show the composer breaking away from piano trio repertoire: No. 1 in B-fl at ma - the conventional dictates of sonata form, jor, D. 898 and No. 2 in E-fl at major, D. introducing broa der formal dimensions 929. His only other works for the form and dramatic elements: a ri ch ly or nam- are Sonatensatz D. 28, a graceful work ented cantilena here (in the Trio K. 502), he wrote while studying with Salieri, and a contrasting theme with Bohe mian ac - a late Notturno of troubling beauty, D. cents there (in the Trio K. 542 fi nale), or 897, probably a discarded slow move- taking us into the operatic uni verse of Le ment from his Trio D. 898. Nozze di Figaro (Trio K. 548). 6 Along with his authoritative String Octet horror of the Nazi death camps of Treb- Op. 20, Mendelssohn’s two trios with pia lin ka), as the immedi ately preceding years no represent a summary of his chamber had deposited their weight of pain. music production. A mature work, the Any decision to record the complete Trio in D Minor balances dense contra- works of a single composer holds parti- puntal passages with subtle instrumental cular interest for performers. Especially textures, imbuing the piece with light, when these works encompass the whole fi nesse, expressivity, and a certain mis- of an artist’s career, they allow the listen- chief reminiscent of his A Midsummer er to trace a striking portrait of the evo- Night’s Dream. Six years later, his Trio in lution of the composer’s language. The C Minor marks another major achieve- works recorded here by the Gryphon Trio ment in the trio repertoire. The slow are snapshots of the composer’s lives. movement evokes the most sublime They invite us to join them on an interior Songs Without Words, while the fi nale journey. Juxtaposed with the early works, is positively orchestral, with the pianist the mature works speak to us in a new abandoning the role of accompanist to way: exciting in the listener a desire to become orator.