The Soul of Russia Piano Trio Then-Bergh, Wen-Sinn Yang, Michael Schäfer

• Mily Balakirev (1837 - 1910):
• 1 Balakirev: When the Yellow Cornfield Waves (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:34
• Alexander Borodin (1833 - 1887):
• 2 Borodin: My Songs Are Filled with Poison (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 01:07
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908):
• 3 Rimsky-Korsakov: 4 Romances, Op. 2: No. 2, Eastern Song (The Nightingale Enslaved by the Rose) [Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio] 02:44
• 4 Rimsky-Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel: With the Queen of Shemakhâ (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:06
• Modest Mussorgsky (1939 - 1881):
• 5 Mussorgsky: Une larme (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:41
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893):
• 6 Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, TH 48 (Excerpts Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio): III. Élégie 07:13
• 7 Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, TH 48 (Excerpts Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio): II. Valse 03:48
• 8 Tchaikovsky: 6 Duets, Op. 46, TH 102: No. 3, Tears (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:42
• 9 Tchaikovsky: 6 Romances, Op. 6, TH 93: No. 2, Not a Word, O My Friend (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:28
• 10 Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op. 37a, TH 135: No. 3, March (Song of the Lark) [Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio] 02:08
• Anton Arensky (1861 - 1906):
• 11 Arensky: 4 Morceaux, Op. 30: No. 2, Sérénade (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:15
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943):
• 12 Rachmaninoff: 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 16: No. 3, Andante cantabile (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 04:00
• Vladimir Rebikov (1866 - 1920):
• 13 Rebikov: The Christmas Tree, Op. 21: Waltz (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:18
• Nikolai Tcherepnin (1873 - 1945):
• 14 Tcherepnin: 5 Romances, Op. 22: No. 1, Mélodie (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 01:45
• Reinhold Glière (1875 - 1956):
• 15 Glière: 12 Pièces enfantines, Op. 31: No. 2, Nocturne (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 01:49
• Joel Engel (1868 - 1927):
• 16 Engel: 2 Romances, Op. 2: No. 2, Do Not Love Me Just for Beauty Alone (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:46
• Leonid Nikolayev (1878 -1942):
• 17 Nikolayev: 2 Romances After Tyutchev, Op. 4: No. 1, On a Quiet Night [Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio] 01:12
• Henryk Pachulski (1859 - 1921):
• 18 Pachulski: 4 Preludes, Op. 21: No. 3, Andantino (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:03
• Georgy Catoire (1861 - 1926):
• 19 Catoire: 3 Morceaux, Op. 2: No. 1, Chant intime (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 01:37
• Nikolai Medtner (1880 - 1951):
• 20 Medtner: 3 Tales, Op. 9: No. 2, Allegro alla serenata, con alcuna licenza (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:12
• Leonid Sabaneyev (1881 - 1968):
• 21 Sabaneyev: 2 Compositions, Op. 5: No. 2, Prélude (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 01:40
• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971):
• 22 Stravinsky: The Firebird (Excerpts Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio): No. 4, Berceuse 02:34
• 23 Stravinsky: The Firebird (Excerpts Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio): No. 2, The Princesses' Khorovod 03:53
• Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915):
• 24 Scriabin: 3 Morceaux, Op. 2: No. 1, Étude (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 02:35
• 25 Scriabin: 2 Nocturnes, Op. 5: No. 2, Allegretto (Arr. A. Krein for Piano Trio) 03:07
• Total Runtime 01:05:17

Info for The Soul of Russia

The Trio Then-Bergh (violin), Wen-Sinn Yang (cello), and Michael Schäfer (piano) provide a cross-section of the golden age of Russian music in their new GENUIN album. These three exceptional musicians play masterpieces compiled and arranged by the composer Alexander Krein in the first half of the 20th century. Krein is a masterful arranger who makes the soul of each piece shine in the trio version. Works by Tchaikovsky (for example, from his String Serenade and The Seasons) and Rimsky-Korsakov (from The Golden Cockerel) are presented here, as well as wonderfully sentimental salon music from Glière to Tcherepnin.

Ilona Then-Bergh, violin
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Michael Schäfer, piano

Ilona Then-Bergh
was named the first concert-mistress of the Bavarian State Orchestra at the young age of 19. She later took the same position with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

In the meantime she has completely stopped performing in orchestras in order to be able to fully (and far more intensively) devote herself to performing chamber music as well as teaching at the Munich Hochschule für Musik und Theater.

She has been awarded the German Record Critics’ Award (Quarterly Critics’ Choice) several times in praise of her CD productions (including Piano Trios by Saint-Saëns, Schubert, Turina and Shostakovich).

Ilona Then-Bergh is a member of the Klaviertrios Then-Bergh – Yang – Schäfer.

Wen-Sinn Yang
who as a chamber musician and a soloist is numbered among the most versatile artistic personalities, became first solo cellist of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in 1989 at the age of 24 years, a position which he gave up in 2005 in favor of a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich.

In 1991 he won first prize at the Geneva International Music Competition. Since then he has been a welcome guest artist on the concert podium and at music festivals in Europe and Asia. As a soloist he has performed with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel and Mariss Jansons.

His very broad-ranging repertoire is documented in more than 20 CD recordings. In addition to the standard repertoire such as the concertos of Boccherini, Haydn and Dvořák, Yang has also recorded lesser known virtuoso cello and chamber music, especially from the 20th century, including works by François Servais, Carl Davidoff, Alfredo Piatti and Julius Klengel.

His performance of the Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello by J.S. Bach have also appeared on DVD in collaboration with Bavarian Radio and Television.

Michael Schäfer
has a propensity for featuring unusual repertoire on his recordings and has been instrumental in surprising the descendants of forgotten composers with unexpected (ASCAP) royalty earnings.

In addition, he performs as a soloist, as a member of various chamber music groups, and as an accompanist on concert podiums throughout the world. Master classes in various countries and a professorship at the State Conservatory for Music in Munich allow him to pass his experience on to the next generation of musicians.

Booklet for The Soul of Russia