The Beaux Arts Trio has been performing as a group since July 13, 1955. When its final tour comes to a close this September, the group will split up, putting the trio to rest after half a century of performances.
The trio currently consists of Menahem Pressler on piano, Daniel Hope on violin and Antonio Meneses on cello. The ensemble line-up has undergone many changes over the years, however, leaving only founder Manahem Pressler as the last remaining member of the original 1955 trio. Even at 84 years old, Pressler is still a spry musician, but the other two members are seeing their solo careers take off. The musicians will keep playing, but not together as an official ensemble anymore.
Tanglewood Music Festival: Hello and Goodbye
The Beaux Arts Trio's final U.S. appearance took place at Tanglewood, paying tribute to where the group started a slow but steady trek to stardom over 50 years ago. The trio has been round the world since that time, even performing at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and participating in the "December Evenings" Festival in Moscow. The ensemble is currently completing its final tour with performances in Europe.
The Beaux Arts Trio has recorded quite an impressive discography. With over 60 albums to their credit, the chances are high that if a listener is looking for a work written for piano trio, the Beaux Arts Trio has already recorded it.
These recordings have garnered some impressive awards, such as the Prix Mondial du Disque, three Grand Prix du Disques, the Union de la Presse Musicale Belge Caecilia Award, the Gramophone Record of the Year, and the Stereo Review Record of the Year Award, to name a few.
Humble Beginnings
But success didn't always smile down on the trio. Back in the 1950s, piano trio chamber music was not a familiar genre. One concert venue only kept its piano in the orchestra pit and the audience had to help the Beaux Arts Trio hoist the heavy instrument onto the stage. But the trio kept performing and people kept liking what they heard.
Even Pressler's own life has been as eventful as his trio's. Born in Germany prior to WWII, he barely escaped with his family in 1938, making it to safety in Israel. Other relatives were not as lucky. Yet despite such somber beginnings to life, Pressler has managed to live a lifetime of music.
Sources
Huizenga, Tom. "Pressler Bids Adieu To Beaux Arts Trio." Aug. 21, 2008. NPR Music.
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