Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio:
Beethoven’s Complete Piano Trios
"Dawn of a New Age"
MINI FESTIVAL • CONCERT PROGRAM 1
“Dawn of a New Age”
This first concert in our Mini Festival highlights what a dramatic departure Beethoven’s interpretation of the piano trio was from any of his predecessors. His first, full-fledged piano trio (Op. 1, No. 1) was composed in 1795, when the Viennese master Franz Joseph Haydn was still alive. While strongly influenced by Haydn’s own trios, we begin to hear some of the younger composer’s unique aesthetic. We’ll contrast this with two of Beethoven’s later trios (Op. 70) from 1808-09 that are Beethoven’s fully mature and distinctive voice, including his hauntingly beautiful “Ghost” Trio.
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”)
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2
Come early for a Musical Conversation with Robert McBride and the musicians from 6:30-7:00 pm!
Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio: Beethoven’s Complete Piano Trios
Combine three of today’s most luminary chamber musicians with ALL NINE of Beethoven’s masterful Piano Trios, and there are sure to be fireworks! CMNW’s Artistic Directors, pianist Gloria Chien and violinist Soovin Kim, have joined forces with cellist Paul Watkins of the Emerson Quartet to create a new powerhouse: the Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio. Together, these three thrilling musicians will take us on a week-long musical journey exploring the genius and virtuosity of some of Beethoven’s greatest chamber works.
“…the trio played with elegance, a beautiful sound, and a natural sense of ensemble. Actually, the passion grew from restrained beginning with the opening Allegro, moving to a deeply intimate Adagio cantabile, picking up with the Scherzo and letting loose with the final Presto.”
— Rutland Herald
This concert is generously sponsored by Jerome Guillan & Jeremy Gallagher.
The Old Church
Saturday, 3/9 • 7:30 pm PT
Program
Click on any piece of music below to learn more about it.
- BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1 (1792) 31’
I. Allegro
II. Adagio cantabile
III. Scherzo: Allegro assai
IV. Finale: PrestoMore than any composer before him, Ludwig van Beethoven made his name by breaking the rules. But before he could break them, he first had to learn them. And who better to learn from than Joseph Haydn, who basically wrote the rules for everything from the symphony to the string quartet to the piano trio?
That’s why, in 1792, Beethoven packed his bags and moved to the big city of Vienna to study the rules of composing with Haydn. The elder master quickly recognized his then 22-year-old pupil’s potential, writing that “Beethoven will in time become one of the greatest musical artists in Europe, and I will be proud to call myself his teacher.”
After studying for several years, Beethoven felt prepared to show off what he had learned in his first publication: the Opus 1 piano trios. His Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1 therefore served as his official introduction to the musical world.The trio begins in an appropriately bold manner for the occasion with the “Mannheim rocket,” a swiftly ascending musical pattern made famous by the Mannheim Orchestra. From there, Beethoven deftly assimilates his two strongest influences, Haydn and Mozart, while hinting at the characteristics that would come to define his own trademark sound. To the modern ear, classical-era virtues of balance and elegance dominate. Yet Beethoven’s contemporaries sensed something much more radical in store, even from this early gem.
Over the course of the decade that followed, Beethoven developed his mature style and earned a reputation as a masterful composer with a truly unique voice. Then, in 1808—the same year as his Fifth and Sixth symphonies—he decided to write a new pair of piano trios that would show just how far he had come since his Opus 1.Beethoven debuted these new trios for a small audience at the home of Countess Anna Maria Erdödy, a dear friend who had bonded with him through their mutual experience coping with chronic health issues. Indeed, despite his growing hearing loss, Beethoven performed in both trios to an enthusiastic response—particularly from the countess. One guest quipped of her affection, “Fortunate is the artist who can be certain of having such listeners!”
©—Ethan Allred
- BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2 (1808) 33’
I. Poco sostenuto – Allegro ma non troppo
II. Allegretto
III. Allegretto ma non troppo
IV. Finale: AllegroAccording to Carl Czerny, the Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2 was inspired by Beethoven’s travels in Hungary with Countess Erdödy, and the many pastoral folk songs they heard there. The trio’s opening Allegro ma non troppo effectively sets the rustic mood, at times dancelike, at others hearty and rough-edged, and at still others piously reflective.
The pastoral setting continues in the second movement, a complex set of variations on two themes. Its delightful first theme gives a direct nod to Scottish folk dance with the short-long “Scotch snap” rhythm.
In the third movement, Beethoven contrasts a modest, songlike opening melody with a deceptively moody middle section, in which a church chorale’s straightforward harmonies become increasingly unstable until the opening melody returns to relieve the tension.
The trio concludes with a fast-paced Allegro that flows together like a constantly evolving musical conversation between violin, cello, and piano. This music requires an extremely high level of skill to execute, no longer accessible to any but the most talented amateurs.
In comparison with Opus 1, the Opus 70 trios definitively show that Beethoven had entered a new phase as a composer. As author E. T. A. Hoffman wrote, “It is as though the master thought that, in speaking of deep, mysterious things—even when the spirit feels itself joyously and gladly uplifted—one may not use an ordinary language; only a sublime and glorious one.”
©— Ethan Allred
- BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”)
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”) (1808) 27’
I. Allegro vivace e con brio
II. Largo assai ed espressivo
III. PrestoThe first of the two trios, the Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”), begins with a spirited Allegro vivace e con brio that oscillates between two extremes, as tempestuous outbursts suddenly evaporate into breathtaking moments of calm.
Beethoven’s student Carl Czerny coined the trio’s nickname when he compared its second movement to a ghastly scene from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Although no evidence explicitly links the movement to Shakespeare, Beethoven certainly creates an eerie aura through its trembling piano chords, minor key, and dramatic, introspective melodies.
For the Presto finale, the trio’s outlook shifts to a much more exuberant level. In some ways, this movement is the most traditional of the three, although it still contains many innovative moments. Beethoven’s mature style is confidently on display, from the movement’s furious forward motion to the sudden pauses and dynamic shifts that stubbornly get in its way.
©—Ethan Allred
Artists
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Gloria Chien
Piano & Artistic Director
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Taiwanese-born pianist Gloria Chien has one of the most diverse musical lives as a noted performer, concert presenter, and educator. She made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard, and she performed again with the BSO with Keith Lockhart. She was subsequently selected by The Boston Globe as one of its Superior Pianists of the year, “who appears to excel in everything.” In recent seasons, she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, the Dresden Chamber Music Festival, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She performs frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2009, she launched String Theory, a chamber music series in Chattanooga, Tennessee that has become one of the region’s premier classical music presenters. The following year she was appointed director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo, a position she held for the next decade.
In 2017, she joined her husband, violinist Soovin Kim, as artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont. The duo became artistic directors at Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon in 2020. They were named recipients of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Award for Extraordinary Service in 2021 for their efforts during the pandemic.
Most recently, Gloria was named Advisor of the newly launched Institute for Concert Artists at the New England Conservatory of Music. Gloria released two albums—her Gloria Chien LIVE from the Music@Menlo LIVE label and Here With You with acclaimed clarinetist Anthony McGill on Cedille Records.
Gloria received her bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the New England Conservatory of Music with Wha Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. She is Artist-in-Residence at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and she is a Steinway Artist.
Upcoming Concerts & Events
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Soovin Kim
Violin & Artistic Director
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Soovin Kim enjoys a broad musical career regularly performing Bach sonatas and Paganini caprices for solo violin, sonatas for violin and piano ranging from Beethoven to Ives, Mozart, and Haydn concertos and symphonies as a conductor, and new world-premiere works almost every season.
When he was 20 years old, Kim received first prize at the Paganini International Violin Competition. He immersed himself in the string quartet literature for 20 years as the 1st violinist of the Johannes Quartet. Among his many commercial recordings are his “thrillingly triumphant” (Classic FM Magazine) disc of Paganini’s demanding 24 Caprices and a two-disc set of Bach’s complete solo violin works that were released in 2022.
Kim is the founder and artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival (LCCMF) in Burlington, Vermont. In addition to its explorative programming and extensive work with living composers, LCCMF created the ONE Strings program through which all 3rd through 5th grade students of the Integrated Arts Academy in Burlington study violin. The University of Vermont recognized Soovin Kim’s work by bestowing an Honorary Doctorate upon him in 2015.
In 2020, he and his wife, pianist Gloria Chien, became artistic directors of Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon. He, with Chien, were awarded Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s 2021 CMS Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music. Kim devotes much of his time to his passion for teaching at the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Yale School of Music in New Haven.
Upcoming Concerts & Events
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Paul Watkins
Cello
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Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career as concerto soloist, chamber musician and conductor.
He is the Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit (since 2014), the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet (2013-2023) and Visiting Professor of Cello at Yale School of Music (since 2018). He took first prize in the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, and has held the positions of Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra.
As a cellist, Watkins has given regular concerto performances with prestigious orchestras across the globe. Also, a dedicated chamber musician, Watkins was a member of the Nash Ensemble (1997-2013) and the Emerson String Quartet (2013-2023). After 44 successful seasons, the quartet decided to retire, and undertook an extensive series farewell tours, culminating in their final performances in New York Lincoln Center in October 2023. This concert was filmed for a documentary by filmmaker Tristan Cook, and the release of their final recording of Berg, Chausson, Schoenberg, and Hindemith with prestigious guests soprano Barbara Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou.
As a conductor, Watkins has conducted all the major British orchestras and a wide range of international orchestras. In 2006 he made his opera debut conducting a critically praised new production of Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine for Opera North.
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Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio
Piano Trio
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The Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio comprises three of classical music’s most highly esteemed artists performing today: pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Soovin Kim, and cellist Paul Watkins. The trio has been performing together since 2019 and presented Beethoven’s groundbreaking Piano Trio cycle at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in 2022.
Award-winning pianist Gloria Chien made her orchestral debut at age 16 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She’s the Founder and Artistic Director of the String Theory chamber music series in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was the Director of the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute in California from 2010-2020. In 2017, she joined Mr. Kim as Artistic Director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival. Since 2020, the husband-and-wife duo has also served as the Artistic Directors of Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon, and were named recipients of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Award for Extraordinary Service in 2021 for their efforts during the pandemic.
Violinist Soovin Kim is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont. The University of Vermont recognized Soovin’s extensive work in the community by bestowing an honorary doctorate upon him in 2015. First prize winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition at age 20, he is also recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. For 20 years, he was the first violinist of the Johannes Quartet. Soovin has devoted much of his time to his passion for teaching at the New England Conservatory in Boston since 2014, and most recently joined the faculty at the Yale School of Music.
Paul Watkins has been the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet since 2013, and for 16 years he was a member of the award-winning Nash Ensemble. He is the Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Michigan and Professor of Cello at the Yale School of Music. Paul enjoys a distinguished career as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. Appointed Principal Cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at age 20, he performs regularly with major orchestras, including eight concerto appearances at the BBC Proms. Winner of the 2002 Leeds Conductors Competition, Paul served as Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, and continues to conduct a wide range of internationally acclaimed ensembles.