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BIS

Conversations a trois - String Trios by Cras, Ysaye & Franca

$21.99

Details

Composer
Jean Cras, Claude Debussy, Eugene Ysaye
Artist
Trio Boccherini, Jean Francaix
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Jun 19, 2026
Catalog #
BIS-2708
UPC
7318599927084

About

Following a first release devoted to string trios by Hungarian composers (BIS-2107), the Trio Boccherini now presents a programme dedicated to works composed in France and Belgium during the first half of the 20th century. In a culture that so brilliantly cultivated the art of conversation, it is hardly surprising that early French string trios were often referred to as "Conversations à trois." The programme opens with a trio by Jean Cras, a Breton composer who produced a body of high-quality work while serving as an officer in the French navy. His string trio is a major work that incorporates a wide range of styles, including North African influences alongside echoes of Bach and Bartók. The next work, Eugène Ysaÿe's Le Chimay, is an intense work that is demanding for performers, both technically and emotionally. The work was so named because of the venue of it's first performance, long after the composer's death. Rejecting the modernism then in vogue, Jean Françaix's Trio appears light, airborne, playful, even impertinent. Both funny and profound, the work stands out for it's unique poetic quality. The programme ends with an arrangement for string trio of Claude Debussy's famous Clair de lune, a work of timeless beauty.

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 I. minim = 72 07:48
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. minim = 72
    Duration
    07:48
    Composer
    Jean Cras
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  2. 2 II. Lento 06:33
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Lento
    Duration
    06:33
    Composer
    Jean Cras
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  3. 3 III. Animé 04:24
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Animé
    Duration
    04:24
    Composer
    Jean Cras
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  4. 4 IV. Très animé 05:14
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Très animé
    Duration
    05:14
    Composer
    Jean Cras
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  5. 5 String Trio (Premier Trio de Concert), Op. posth., "Le Chimay" 19:43
    Track
    5
    Title
    String Trio (Premier Trio de Concert), Op. posth., "Le Chimay"
    Duration
    19:43
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  6. 6 I. Allegretto Vivo 02:16
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Allegretto Vivo
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Jean Françaix
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  7. 7 II. Scherzo: Vivo 03:21
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Vivo
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Jean Françaix
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  8. 8 III. Andante 03:30
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Andante
    Duration
    03:30
    Composer
    Jean Françaix
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  9. 9 IV. Rondo: Vivo 03:59
    Track
    9
    Title
    IV. Rondo: Vivo
    Duration
    03:59
    Composer
    Jean Françaix
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini
  10. 10 Suite bergamasque: III. Clair de lune (arr. N. Shardlow for string trio) 04:44
    Track
    10
    Title
    Suite bergamasque: III. Clair de lune (arr. N. Shardlow for string trio)
    Duration
    04:44
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Ensemble
    Trio Boccherini