About the music and the musicians.

Ravel Piano Trio: There is often a story behind a composition. Here is the one behind the Ravel Trio: Ravel had been planning to write a trio for at least six years before beginning work in earnest in March 1914. At the outset, Ravel remarked to his pupil Maurice Delage, "I’ve written my trio. Now all I need are the themes."[1] During the summer of 1914, Ravel did his compositional work in the French Basque commune of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Ravel was born across the bay in the Basque town of Ciboure; his mother was Basque, and he felt a deep identification with his Basque heritage. During the Trio's composition, Ravel was also working on a piano concerto based on Basque themes entitled Zazpiak Bat (Basque for "The Seven are One"). Although eventually abandoned, this project left its mark on the Trio, particularly in the opening movement, which Ravel later noted was "Basque in colouring." However, Ravel's first biographer and friend Roland-Manuel had a different account of the theme's origin: "Our great musicians have never been ashamed of admiring a pretty tune from a café concert. It is said that it was in watching ice-cream vendors dancing a fandango at Saint-Jean-de-Luz that Ravel picked up the first theme of his Trio in A, a theme which he believed to be Basque, but wasn't." While initial progress on the Trio was slow, the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 spurred on Ravel to finish the work so that he could enlist in the army. A few days after France’s entry into the war, Ravel wrote again to Maurice Delage: "Yes, I am working on the Trio with the sureness and lucidity of a madman." By September he had finished it, writing to Igor Stravinsky, "The idea that I should be leaving at once made me get through five months' work in five weeks! My Trio is finished." In October, he was accepted as a nurse's aide by the Army, and in March 1916 he became a volunteer truck driver for the 13th Artillery Regiment. Musicians:

The Marlboro musicians playing Ravel. *************** Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano. A much sought after chamber musician, Lithuanian Ieva’s collaborative endeavors have brought her to major stages around the world, such as: Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. She regularly appears at international music festivals including: Marlboro, Ravinia, Bard, Caramoor, Chesapeake Chamber Music, Kneisel Hall, Four Seasons, and Prussia Cove in England. Earning degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and from Mannes College of Music, her principal teachers have been Seymour Lipkin and Richard Goode. In fall 2015 Ieva began her tenure as Assistant Professor, Piano at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. She is currently on the faculty of Duke University. Her performances have led critics to describe her as possessing ‘razor-sharp intelligence and wit’ (Washington Post) and as ‘an artist of commanding technique, refined temperament and persuasive insight’ (New York Times). In 2006, she was honoured as a recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship.

Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano.********************* Oliver Neubauer, violin: Praised for his uniquely beautiful playing and mature artistry, 24-year-old violinist Oliver Neubauer is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young artists of his time. First prize winner of the 2023 Susan Wadsworth Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Oliver is a YCA Jacobs Fellow and is managed worldwide by Young Concert Artists. Highlights of the 2023-24 season include Oliver’s debut with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra playing the Korngold Concerto (as first prize winner of the 26th Hellam Competition), a concert and video-audio recording in Rome (as third prize winner of the ArsClassica International Competition), and a performance of the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante along with his father, Paul Neubauer, and an orchestra comprised of members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Oliver will also be making appearances at Jupiter Chamber Players (NY), Apex Concerts (Reno, NV), PMP Suncoast (FL), Mostly Music (NJ), Parlance Chamber Concerts (NJ), and will perform recitals at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium and the Juilliard School’s Paul Hall. During the summer of 2024, Oliver will attend the Marlboro Music Festival.

Oliver Neubauer, violin. ****************** Minjoung Kim, cello. A graduate of Musik-Akademie Basel and the Reina Sofía School of Music, Minjoung has won awards in major international competitions, including the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, the Benedetto Mazzacurati International Cello Competition in Turin, the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin and the Prague Spring International Music Competition. She has appeared with international orchestras such as the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Orchestre Musique des Lumières and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra. Previously a student of Ivan Monighetti and Sol Gabetta, Minjoung has been studying at Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt since October 2020.

Minjoung Kim, cello.