About Trio Notturno
Trio Notturno was formed to explore the repertoire for flute, viola and guitar from the early romantic period. In the 1800s, the guitar became popular for domestic music-making as well as developing as a solo concert instrument in the hands of several prominent virtuosi. The gentle-toned flute and the warm resonant viola combined with the guitar to create the perfect drawing room ensemble, for which composers of the time wrote sonatas, serenades and nocturnes.
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In comparison with the modern guitar, the guitars of the romantic period have a less forceful but warmer sound. Whilst possessing a smaller stature, they often have an extended range, with extra strings and frets to broaden their musical possibilities. The flute of this period is made of wood rather than metal and the viola is strung with gut-core strings, both contributing to a softer, more intimate sound.
Though much of the repertoire for flute, viola and guitar is associated with Vienna, Trio Notturno also explores music by Italian, German, Spanish and Ukrainian composers who travelled and performed across Europe during the 19th century. In these days before recorded music, chamber music arrangements of popular orchestral and operatic works made it possible for music enthusiasts to ‘take home’ the highlights of such works, in the way that modern audiences can relive enjoyable concert experiences by playing a CD in their living rooms. Trio Notturno's repertoire includes such arrangements, featuring music of Mozart and Meyerbeer, as well as trios by Diabelli, Molino and Berger, and arrangements of Beethoven by Matiegka.
Trio Notturno also presents performances of music combined with the spoken word, after the fashion of the time, and contemporary works written especially for early romantic period instruments. The Trio performs house concerts, in the Viennese tradition, as well as public concerts in music series and festivals. Trio Notturno plan to record an album of unjustly neglected musical gems from their repertoire in the near future.
