Lunchtime Concert: English Piano Trio

Jane Faulkner – violin,  Pal Banda – cello,  Timothy Ravenscroft - piano

The English Piano Trio has played together for 30 years and has performed on London and European concert platforms. 

Although well known for their interpretation of music of the classical period, the Trio has commissioned and recorded 20th and 21st century repertoire. Their CD for Naxos of music by Sir Malcolm Arnold was part of a Gramophone Award winning series. Commissions for their 20th anniversary resulted in works by David Matthews, Cecilia McDowall and Joseph Phibbs.  The Trio also researches lesser known composers and these have included London performances and recording for Dutton Epoch of the English composer Francis E Bache (1833-1858), a premiere performance of the composer Johanna Senfter in Germany, and at the invitation of the Gurney Trust, premiere performances in Bristol of Ivor Gurney’s two piano trios.

The English Piano Trio regularly collaborates with other musicians and actors creating semi - staged performances. Their own scripts feature specific composers or events. Amongst many, highlights have been ‘On the Danube’ with Timothy West as narrator, and a performance at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, of music by Shostakovich coupled with verse by the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. 

For a number of seasons the Trio presented recitals at Bristol’s Colston Hall recital room, in collaboration with visiting international orchestras. 

The Trio’s most recent CD was for the English Music label of works by the English composer Rutland Boughton. 

The English Piano Trio does the work full justice
BBC Music Magazine

Three robustly equal parts spar and sing…all most entertaining, persuasively played
Gramophone