The Manoel Theatre too is celebrating the Haydn death bicentenary. On Friday, 29 May at 8pm, a concert is being presented by one of the leading piano trio formations anywhere. The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt consists of pianist Harald Kosik, violinist Verena Stourzh and cellist Hannes Gradwohl. They will perform two trios by Haydn: Trio in C, Hob. XV: 27 and Trio in E flat, Hob. XV: 29. Austrian composer Gerhard Krammer’s Trio dedicated to Haydn will also be performed. The entire second half of the concert is taken up by the Trio n. 2 in E flat, Op. 100 by Schubert.

The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt was founded in 1992 and as its name implies it is closely associated with Eisentstadt, capital of the east Austrian region of Burgenland, and a city where Haydn lived for many decades. They made quick progress and after studying at the Vienna Academy of Music they took Master Classes with the renowned Trio di Trieste. By 1994 they had been awarded with the highly prestigious Accademia Chigiana of Siena’s honorary diploma as the best piano trio and an award for the best foreign contribution. This led to their being admitted to the Scuola Internazionale di Musica da Camera del Trio di Trieste which they attended for two years.

The Trio’s great involvement with Haydn is such that since 1995 it has presented an annual concert cycle at Esterházy Castle in Eisenstadt. Since 2002 the Trio has worked with Scottish soprano Lorna Anderson and Scottish tenor Jamie MacDougall on presenting all 429 Folksong arrangements composed by Haydn, both in concert and on CD. Covered in a total of 19 CDs, these were released last January. The Trio has recorded all Haydn’s piano trios as well as those by Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. The Trio’s versatility however also encompasses contemporary music, which they have been promoting since 2002 through a new concert series entitled ton.art.project.

Bookings by email on: [email protected]; Tel: 2124 6389 or visit www.teatrumanoel.com.mt