Trio Parole will perform complete Mozart piano trios

The Department of Music premieres its 2001-02 season with two free concerts presented by Trio Parole, a guest ensemble from Europe.

Trio Parole will play the complete Mozart piano trios over two evenings, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 8 and 9, at 8 in Barnes Hall Auditorium. Of the six trios that Mozart completed for violin, cello and piano, five are mature works, dating from the period of his residence in Vienna, where he spent the last 10 years of this life.

On Sept. 8, the group will perform K. 496 in G Major and K. 502 in B-flat Major, both from 1786 during the period of Figaro, as well as the ethereal E-Major Trio, K. 542, written in 1788. On Sept. 9, the last two piano trios, K. 548 in C Major and K. 564 in G Major, both from 1788, will be heard along with two fragments from K. 442 that have been completed by members of Trio Parole.

Founded in 1997, Trio Parole is named after the cities in which the members lived when they met (PAris-ROme-LEipzig) and after the idea, prevalent in the 18th century, that music is to be presented as speech and chamber music as conversation. Currently, the trio is engaged in recording the Mozart piano trios, including the fragments K. 442 in new completions, for the French label Chordis et Organo.

Harpsichordist, organist and fortepianist Zvi Meniker received diplomas with distinction from the Salzburg Mozarteum and the Zurich Academy of Music before moving to the United States to study with Cornell music Professor Malcolm Bilson. Meniker is a professor at the Hannover Conservatory, where he currently teaches harpsichord, fortepiano and performance practice.

Philippe Couvert studied the violin at the Paris Conservatory with Jean Lenert. Since 1986 he has been the concertmaster of the original-instrument orchestra La Grande Ecurie at la Chambre du Roy under Jean-Claude Malgoire and plays in many other ensembles.

Andrea Fossà completed his cello studies at the Florence Conservatory. He went on to study at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Fossà teaches Baroque cello and chamber music at the Palermo Conservatory.