Vissarion Shebalin - Piano Trio, Op. 39 (1946-47)

Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (Russian: Виссарио́н Я́ковлевич Шебали́н; 11 June [O.S. 29 May] 1902 - 29 May 1963) was a Soviet composer.
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Piano Trio in A major, Op. 39 (1946-47)
Dedication: To David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Knushevitsky & Lev Oborin.
1. Moderato (0:00)
2. Allegro assai (6:40)
3. Theme and VII Variations (13:55)
The Borodin Trio
Rostislav Dubinsky, violin; Valentin Berlinsky, cello and Luba Edlina, piano
Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical college in Omsk, and was also enrolled in the Institute of Agriculture. He was 20 years old when, following the advice of his professor, he went to Moscow to show his first compositions to Reinhold Glière and Nikolai Myaskovsky. Both composers thought very highly of his compositions. Shebalin graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1928. His diploma work was the 1st Symphony, which the author dedicated to his professor Nikolai Myaskovsky. Many years later his fifth and last symphony was dedicated to Myaskovsky's memory.
In the 1920s Shebalin was a member of the Association for Contemporary Music (ACM); he was a participant of the informal circle of Moscow musicians known as "Lamm's group", which gathered in the apartment of Pavel Lamm, a professor from the Moscow Conservatory.
After graduating from Moscow Conservatory, he worked there as a professor, and in 1935 became also a head of the composition class at the Gnessin State Musical College. In the very difficult years of 1942-48 he was a director of the Moscow Conservatory and the art director of the Central Musical School in Moscow. He fell victim to the Zhdanov purge of artists in 1948 and fell into obscurity afterwards. Among his students were Ester Mägi, Veljo Tormis, Lydia Auster, Edison Denisov, Grigory Frid, Tikhon Khrennikov, Karen Khachaturian, Aleksandra Pakhmutova, Yevgania Yosifovna Yakhina, and others. Shebalin was one of the founders of and the chairman of the board (1941-1942) of the Union of Soviet Composers.
Shebalin was one of the most cultured and erudite composers of his generation; his serious intellectual style and a certain academic approach to composition make him close to Myaskovsky. In 1951, he was awarded the Stalin Prize. Shebalin was a close friend of Dmitri Shostakovich, who dedicated a string quartet (No. 2) to him.
In 1953, Shebalin suffered a stroke, followed by another stroke in 1959, which impaired most of his language capabilities. Despite that, just a few months before his death from a third stroke in 1963, he completed his fifth symphony, described by Shostakovich as "a brilliant creative work, filled with highest emotions, optimistic and full of life."

[@notaire2]

Wunderschöne und detaillierte Interpretation dieses neoromantischen und perfekt komponierten Trios im gut phrasierten Tempo mit klarem Klang des Klaviers, seidigem Ton der Violine und tiefem Ton des Violoncellos. Die intime und perfekt entsprechende Miteinanderwirkung zwischen den drei Virtuosen ist wahrlich ergreifend. Dieses verborgene Meisterwerk soll viel häufiger aufgeführt und viel höher geschätzt werden!

[@TheodoreServin]

Truly, one of the most underrated Russian piano trios. Its unfortunate circumstances prevented it from ever becoming famous, even in Russia. The opening melody is so melancholy and beautiful, and variations-finale is really something special, the ending is very emotional and satisfying. Thank you!

[@fransmeersman2334]

Splendid late romantic Russian chamber music, a magnificent piano trio. Than You !

[@steveegallo3384]

Extraördinary! Undeservedly unknown.....Wow!

[@NareshNaresh-lr9nq]

Remarkable!!!!

[@svarupa]

❤