Long established as one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles, and perennially fresh in its artistry, the Vienna Piano Trio was founded in 1988 by the Viennese pianist Stefan Mendl. His partners are the Californian violinist David McCarroll, a member of the trio since 2015, and the Austrian cellist Clemens Hagen, who joined in 2018. Together, the players embody the ensemble’s continuing commitment to bridging the traditions and practice of Europe and America. This philosophy stems from the trio’s early years and its mentoring by such ensembles as the Trio di Trieste, Haydn-Trio Wien, Beaux Arts Trio, and the Guarneri and LaSalle quartets, and by the violinists Isaac Stern and Jaime Laredo.

Both sustaining and renewing the repertoire for piano trio, the ensemble complements the masterworks of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries with new works, the product of collaborations with such leading contemporary composers as Friedrich Cerha, Georg Friedrich Haas, György Kurtág, Johannes Maria Staud, and Jörg Widmann. The Vienna Piano Trio’s extensive prize-winning discography on the Naxos, Nimbus, and MDG labels embraces the complete piano trios of Brahms, Dvořák, Saint-Saëns, Schönberg/Steuermann, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and Zemlinsky, as well as works by Beethoven, Haydn, Schumann, and others. Recent recordings include the Ravel and Chausson piano trios as well as Beethoven’s “Archduke” and Op. 1 No. 3.

After 34 years, the 2021–22 season will conclude the trio’s illustrious career. Engagements include a concert cycle at Vienna’s Konzerthaus focusing on the trios of Schubert and Mendelssohn, as well as performances in Stuttgart, Trieste, and London’s Wigmore Hall. In April 2022, the trio will also make a tour of the US and Canada. The farewell season will conclude with a concert in June 2022 at the Konzerthaus in Vienna with friends Jörg Widmann, Thomas Selditz, and Alois Posch.

David McCarroll plays a 1761 Gagliano violin and Clemens Hagen plays a Stradivari cello from 1698.

AFCM previously welcomed the Vienna Piano Trio in 2013. We also heard cellist Clemens Hagen as a member of the Hagen Quartet in 2014.