TRIO No. 4 for violin, violoncello and piano

For violin, violoncello and piano

Piano Trio

No. 4

Lera Auerbach’s Piano Trio No. 4 is a 2017 chamber work for violin, violoncello and piano, commissioned by the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition and premiered in Sion, Switzerland.

Year 2017
Duration 15′
Scoring Violin
Cello · Piano
Publisher Boosey & Hawkes
/ Sikorski
Full Catalogue Publisher Catalogue Premiere Information Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Abbreviations PDF

Commission

Commissioned by the Concours International de Violon Tibor Varga. The commission was created for the 2017 Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Sion, Switzerland.

World Premiere

27 August 2017. Église des Jésuites, Sion — performed by participants in the semi-finals of the Tibor Varga Violin Competition.

Structure

  • One continuous movement

    • Pesante e tragico (q = 60) · Poco meno mosso (q = 52) · Più mosso (q = 69) · Poco meno mosso (q = 50) · meno mosso · Ossessivo (q = 120) · Adagio nostalgico (q = 60) · meno mosso, tragico pesante (q = 62) · q = 50 · Adagio (q = 46) · q = 40 · Tragico (q = 48) · Adagio sognando (q = 44)

Work Information

Full Title
Piano Trio No. 4
Scoring
For violin, violoncello and piano.
Year
2017
Duration
15′ in the official Sikorski work catalogue.
Form
One continuous movement.
Tempo Arc
Pesante e tragico (q = 60) · Poco meno mosso (q = 52) · Più mosso (q = 69) · Poco meno mosso (q = 50) · meno mosso · Ossessivo (q = 120) · Adagio nostalgico (q = 60) · meno mosso, tragico pesante (q = 62) · q = 50 · Adagio (q = 46) · q = 40 · Tragico (q = 48) · Adagio sognando (q = 44).
Instrumentation
Violin, violoncello and piano.
Commission
Commissioned by the Concours International de Violon Tibor Varga.
World Premiere
27 August 2017 — Église des Jésuites, Sion, Switzerland;
participants in the semi-finals of the Tibor Varga Violin Competition.
Publisher
Listed in the official Sikorski / Boosey & Hawkes Auerbach work catalogue .
Recording
Delta Piano Trio — Milking Darkness, Challenge Classics CC 72963 (2023); Gerard Spronk, violin; Irene Enzlin, violoncello; Vera Kooper, piano. Recorded track duration: 18:34.
Materials
For current score and performance-material information, consult Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski. No separate work-detail or purchase page is linked here.

About the Work

Piano Trio No. 4 was written in 2017 for the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Sion. Unlike Auerbach’s earlier numbered piano trios, the official catalogue presents the fourth trio as a single uninterrupted sequence rather than a set of separately titled movements.

Its published tempo plan begins Pesante e tragico and moves through repeated changes of weight, motion and character — including Ossessivo, Adagio nostalgico, Tragico and finally Adagio sognando. The result is a continuous dramatic arc for the three instruments.

The work’s first performance took place on 27 August 2017 at the Église des Jésuites in Sion, given by participants in the semi-final round of the Tibor Varga Violin Competition.

In 2023 the Delta Piano Trio recorded the work for the Challenge Classics album Milking Darkness. The ensemble — Gerard Spronk, Irene Enzlin and Vera Kooper — prepared the recording in close collaboration with Auerbach. The released performance lasts 18:34, longer than the 15-minute duration listed in the publisher catalogue.

Online Materials

Verified catalogue, premiere, recording, listening and reference materials for Lera Auerbach Piano Trio No. 4.

Lera Auerbach Piano Trio No. 4 publisher — Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski

Publisher and Materials

Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski represents Lera Auerbach’s music. Piano Trio No. 4 is listed in the official Auerbach work catalogue. For current score and performance-material availability, consult the publisher directly.