Trio Pour Piano, Violon et Violoncelle

Piano Trio No.1 dates from 1880 [possibly 1872 according to The Classical Music Guide Forums] and for many years enjoyed considerable popularity. The restless, opening Allegro begins with a turbulent theme in which the piano is given a fast running passage softly played beneath the longer-lined melody in the strings. A second theme is quieter and of a reflective nature. The following Tempo di Minuetto is not a minuet but a bouncy, highly accented scherzo. The middle section has a Russian orthodox church-like melody which is cleverly interrupted by the sprightly first theme after almost every utterance, creating an original effect. The third movement Andante is a simple but beautiful lovers' duet. First the violin calls out, then the cello answers. Eventually, they join in and sing together. The finale, Allegro, follows without pause. It begins in the same turbulent theme that began the trio, although in a slightly altered form. Godard actually brings back each of the earlier themes from the preceding movements, but ingeniously clothes in a quite different guise. - Edition Silvertrust.