Two chamber music masterpieces for two funeral elegies.

The Trio élégiaque no.2 by Rachmaninov was composed in the wake of the intense emotion he felt at the death of Tchaikovsky, the composer who had effectively supported the musical career of the young Rachmaninov. The dedication of the Trio reads, “to the memory of a great artist”, which is the same dedication that Tchaikovsky had given to his Trio in A minor, op.50 twelve years earlier, in honour of his recently deceased teacher, Nicolai Rubinstein.

Shostakovich wrote the Trio no.2 op.67 in the first half of 1944 and dedicated it to the memory of his dear friend Ivan Sollertinskij, who died suddenly at the age of 41 from a heart attack. For Shostakovich it was a very painful loss, which is reflected in all the drama and restlessness that characterize this elegiac, mournful and grotesque piece.