Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 3 in F Minor: Reaching a Creative Pinnacle

Antonín Dvořák had weathered personal tragedy and intense inner conflict when, in 1883, he composed the Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65.

Dvořák began work on the Trio six months after the death of his mother, with whom he had been especially close. The premature loss of three of his young children was still a fresh memory. As a composer, Dvořák, who enjoyed the support of Johannes Brahms, was torn between his provincial Czech roots and newfound fame. Supporters urged him to move to Vienna, and to adapt a more Germanic, cosmopolitan style. In the end, Dvořák remained defiantly Czech.

Dark and tempestuous undercurrents run through the F minor Piano Trio. It is dramatic, grandly scaled music which anticipates the turbulent Seventh Symphony, composed a year later. With this Trio, Dvořák reached maturity as a composer. Following the premiere on October 27, 1883 in the Central Bohemian city of Mladá Boleslav, which featured Dvořák at the piano, the influential critic, Eduard Hanslick, wrote in the Neue Freie Presse, “The most valuable gem brought to us amid the plethora of concerts in recent weeks is undeniably Dvorak’s new Piano Trio in F minor. It demonstrates that the composer finds himself at the pinnacle of his career.”

The first movement (Allegro ma non troppo) begins with a haunting, restless solitary line, which rises and falls in octaves between the violin and cello before drifting off with uncertainty. Listeners have noted that none of the movement’s themes fully resolve, creating “an impression of things left unsaid, of misgivings and questions.” Moments of highflying euphoria are fleeting, as ghostly shadows return. A sense of searching development continues through the recapitulation, and the persistent question, posed in the opening phrase remains, even as the final cadence attempts to hastily sweep it away.

Moving to C-sharp minor, the second movement (Allegro grazioso) is a brief scherzo, infused with Czech folk influences. Set in 2/4 time, the piano’s rhythm resembles a polka, but the violin and cello superimpose a feeling of three. These cross-rhythms, related to the spirited Bohemian dance of the furiant, give us a magical sense of forward motion, without ever touching the ground.

The third movement (Poco adagio) is wistful and nostalgic. It begins with a warm and serene A-flat major chord in the piano, which opens the door to a lamenting duet between the violin and cello. At moments, the music unfolds with an almost childlike innocence. In the final elegiac moments, pangs of sadness fade into acceptance.

The Finale (Allegro con brio) blends elements of Sonata form with the rondo. The fiery, irregular triple meter furiant returns. Briefly, its triple meter relaxes into a gentle waltz. Leading into the coda, the music feels unsettled. Attempts at surging Beethoven-like momentum break off into halting moments of silence. Suddenly, the first movement’s opening theme makes a surprise return (8:51). F minor is transformed into shimmering F major, and, for a moment, the music lingers amid echoes of the adagio. Only after pausing for this final “goodbye” does the Trio surge forward to embrace its exuberant conclusion.

I. Allegro ma non troppo – Poco più mosso, quasi vivace:

II. Allegro grazioso – Meno mosso:

III. Poco adagio:

IV. Finale. Allegro con brio – Meno mosso – Vivace:

Five Great Recordings

• Dvorák: Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65, Florestan Trio Amazon
• Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Tanja Tetzlaff
• Renaud Capuçon, Lahav Shani, Kian Soltani
• Suk Trio 
• ATOS Trio (recorded at Silent Green, Berlin / May 21, 2021)

Featured Image: “Birch Mood” (1897), Antonín Slavíček