Why you should listen to Tailleferre’s Piano Trio: Mithras Trio

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We in the Mithras Trio pride ourselves on being advocates for unjustly-neglected repertoire, and were delighted to discover the Piano Trio of Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) around two years ago. We have programmed it in most of our concerts this season - not only is it a characterful, appealing work, but is also a good length (at around 13 minutes, it is the perfect ‘amuse-bouche’ concert opener). 

It is a piece with a rather unusual composition history. The first and third movements were written around 1916-17, but the piece was completed and published in 1978 - a cool 60 years between conception and revision which puts Brahms’s reworking of his op.8 trio into perspective. This is indicative of her youthful spirit and prolific output over her long career - as her friend Darius Milhaud affectionately remarked, she was ‘always 20 years old’. 

It is an easy trap in these lesser-known pieces to search for the influence of other composers. Sentiments like ‘she must have admired Fauré’ or ‘you can really tell she studied with Ravel’, while not always inaccurate, do a disservice to the originality and persuasiveness of her musical language. Paris in the early 20th century was a melting pot of different artistic movements, compositional styles and nationalities, and what we see in Tailleferre’s musical language is manifestly neoclassical - a synthesis of elements from ancient and traditional styles with those of contemporary Impressionism, vernacular styles (including jazz), the noises of machinery and industry, and music from the Japanese and Balinese cultural traditions popularised by Debussy. 

Famously the only female member of ‘Les Six’, the circle of composers in Paris united (loosely) through the machinations of Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie, hers was a constant battle against societal expectations to forge a career. She changed her name from Taillefesse (her family name) to spite her father who was unsupportive of her musical pursuits, and endured two short-lived marriages to husbands who were similarly disparaging of her talents. 

This trio is indicative of her youthful spirit and prolific output over her long career

Particularly remarkable of the Trio is its homogeneity. For a work written at opposite ends of the 20th century, it shows great consistency of language and aesthetic, albeit with slightly more inspired thematic material in the second and fourth movements (a personal feeling which you may disagree with!) The first movement is ardently lyrical, mostly cast in the sort of ecstatic melody-based texture we associate with Fauré’s late chamber music. The percussive distant sound of the Gamelan echoes around as the movement reaches its conclusion. The second is full of sharp contrasts, with an air of caricature and comedia dell’arte in the humorous juxtapositions of material. The sound of medieval plainchant ironically set as a faux-innocent nursery rhyme offers a particularly memorable central episode. The third movement has a strong (but nonetheless pleasant) French aroma - nods to salon music and jazz fail to disrupt its gentle lilt. The sound of the Gamelan returns in the final movement, in a quasi-moto-perpetuo romp not dissimilar to the final moment of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. Twinkling percussive interjections in the pentatonic scale give an oriental twist, and the piece ends abruptly after a final Gamelan flourish. 

It is an immensely rewarding and challenging work to play, testing the virtuosity of all three players with its rich and imaginative material. Perhaps one reason it has struggled to enter the mainstream is the lack of a reliable and clear performance edition. The French edition from 1980 is riddled with inconsistencies and errors, leaving us as performers with a mountain to climb, and an unfair prejudice against the quality of the music. But the rewards have been well worth the struggle.

The Mithras Trio will perform at Music at Paxton on 27 and 28 July 2024. Find out more here: https://www.musicatpaxton.co.uk/programme/

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