Moscow Trio is a Soviet Russian classical piano trio ensemble (piano, cello, violin).
It was formed in 1968 by Alexander Bonduriansky (piano), Mikhaïl Bezverkhny (violin) and Мирон Ямпольский (= Miron Yampolsky) (cello), students of the chamber ensemble class of Татьяна Гайдамович (=Tatiana Gaidamovich) at Moscow Conservatory.
In the mid-1970s, the line-up changed to Bonduryansky, Ivanov and Utkin and remains so to this day:
Alexander Bonduriansky = Александр Бондурянский - piano
Vladimir Ivanov = Владимир Иванов - violin
Mikhail Utkin = Михаил Уткин - cello
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The ensemble of soloists "Moscow Trio" is rightfully considered one of the leading chamber ensembles of the world class.
The ensemble of soloists "Moscow Trio" is a laureate of international competitions in Munich (1969, 2nd prize), Belgrade (1972, 1st prize), Budapest (1975, 1st prize), Bordeaux (1976, gold medal of M. Ravel).
All three musicians received an excellent school of ensemble mastery in the class of Professor T. A. Gaidamovich = Татьяна Гайдамович. In addition, the artists have a large solo repertoire, often performing in Russia and abroad with solo concerts and accompanied by orchestras.
The repertoire of the Moscow Trio soloists ensemble includes over 200 works, numerous concert programs, of which the following should be noted: “Piano Trios of Russian Composers”, “History of the Genre”, “Piano Trios of the Romantic Era”, “All Works of Beethoven”, monograph programs dedicated to the works of W. A. Mozart, F. Schubert, F. Mendelssohn, J. Brahms, S. Rachmaninoff, D. D. Shostakovich. In concerts of the Moscow Trio, triple concertos by L. van Beethoven, A. Casella, B. Martinů, N. N. Cherepnin, S. S. Berinsky, A. V. Tchaikovsky and A. A. Nikolaev are performed, accompanied by symphony orchestras. The last three works were inspired by the ensemble, dedicated to it and first performed by it in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. One of the most important tasks of the Moscow Trio soloists' ensemble is to return forgotten masterpieces of the past to the listener. This is evidenced by the Moscow premieres of the trios of M. Clementi, I. Brahms, F. Schubert, K. Schumann, E. T. A. Hoffmann, E. Grieg, G. Donizetti, K. Debussy. The musicians performed the previously unknown youth Trio No. 1 by D. D. Shostakovich for the first time.
The ensemble's active propaganda activities attract the attention of modern composers writing in this genre. A. V. Tchaikovsky, M. I. Chulaki, E. L. Lazarev, I. I. Golubev, Yu. M. Butsko, V. A. Grokhovsky, the Finnish composer P.-H. Nordgren, A. Friedman from France and others dedicated their works to the Moscow Trio soloists' ensemble. Many foreign and domestic composers consider it an honor to trust the Moscow Trio with the premieres of their works.
Not only works for the trio are performed in the musicians' concerts. More than once they have invited famous artists of other specialties for joint performances: vocalists E. Nesterenko and G. Pisarenko, American singer Yu. Kaufman, violists Yu. Bashmet, A. Bobrovsky and M. Tolpygo, clarinetists V. Sokolov and R. Bagdasaryan, double bass player R. Gabdullin.
The geography of the trio's tours is diverse, having performed in more than 300 cities of the former USSR and in 45 countries of the world - from Argentina to Japan and from Norway to Egypt. His art was applauded by audiences in such concert halls as the Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, the Old Opera in Frankfurt, the Municipal Theatre in Rio de Janeiro, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Merkin Hall in New York, the best halls in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The ensemble participated in prestigious festivals in Helsinki, Belgrade, Florence, Prague, Berlin, Dubrovnik, Ludwigsburg, Sofia, St. Petersburg and Moscow. The ensemble's concert at the Ohrid Festival (Macedonia) was recognized as the best in 1994.
The ensemble's artists conduct master classes and seminars in Russia and abroad. The German newspaper wrote: "...Three artists, teachers of the Moscow Conservatory, made these days of the Courses unforgettable for all participants, thanks to their artistic charm and the power of pedagogical persuasion."
The Moscow Trio soloists' ensemble recorded most of its repertoire on radio and gramophone records by the Melodiya company, and then on compact discs by companies in Germany, France and the USA.
The ensemble's work received high praise in their homeland - the musicians were awarded the honorary titles of People's Artists of Russia, the Moscow Prize in Literature and Art, and the newspaper Muzykalnoye Obozreniye called them "the ensemble of 1997."