The Arbós Trio
Tres tercetos / Three Trios
For Violin, Cello & PianoCommentary
Recordings
Video
Reviews
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Commentary
Located in my catalog between the Two Duets, for cello and piano, and the Four Quartets, for four corni di bassetto, the Three Trios follow a similar approach to the former, but adapted in this case to the number three and its derivatives: three sections executed without a solution of continuity and absolutely interdependent. In the first one, Trio, a material made up of a series of elements is exposed that are subjected to a first development in the second one, Triduo, and to a much more elaborated one in the third and last section, Triple.
The elements subject to the different developments follow one another in the Triduo in the opposite direction to how they were exposed in the Trio, and in the original direction in the Triple, thus configuring a sort of formal zig-zag, whose most accurate graphic representation would be yjay of a large deformed "Z", since on the other hand the time duration of each of the sections is approximately threefold the previous one: one minute for the first, three for the second and nine for the third.
At all times I tried to ensure that the character and the instrumental treatment of the different elements provided enough contrast to each other so that their validity was identical both in their exposition in the initial Trio and in their development in the two subsequent movements. For this, it was necessary to work the three sections in parallel, since their different elaborations and re-elaborations, as well as the change of their direction in the second movement, forced me to make numerous adjustments to the original material based on its subsequent consequences.
The Three Trios were written in the winter of 2003 at the request of the Arbós Trio, to whom they are naturally dedicated and to who played its world premiere at the 19th Alicante Contemporary Music Festival, on October 2, 2003.
In February 2025 the CD José Luis Turina. Piano trios was published on the SACRATIF label, in which the interpretation of the Arbós Trio includes the works composed up to that date for piano trio: Trío (1983), Three trios (2003) and Viaggio di Parnaso (2005), along with the pedagogical works Compound movement and Tango.
Cover of the CD by the Arbós Trio (2025)
Recordings
1) Recording: Trío Arbós (CD "José Luis Turina. Piano trios. Sacratif, 2025)
2) Grabación: Brouwer Trio (Nicolás Salmerón Cultural Center, part of the 12th COMA Festival of the Madrid Composers Association. Madrid, November 3, 2010)
First page of the Three Trios
Vídeo
Trío Arbós (Ferdinando Trematore, violin; José Miguel Gómez, cello); Juan Carlos Garvayo, piano)
Madrid, Hall of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, February 26, 2025Reviews
Sounds cut by similar pattern
By Marc Llorente
(Review published in the newspaper Información. (Alicante, October 3, 2003)
[...]
The start corresponded to "Three Trios: trio, triduo, triple", by José Luis Turina, with notable instrumentalists. It is good to expand the styles and discover trends that, however, it is not easy for people to become fond of. It's not a matter of innovating at all costs, and too many times they throw at us sounds cut by a similar pattern.
[...]
In the shadow of Menahem Pressler
By Xoán M. Carreira
(Review published in the Internet magazine Mundoclásico. (October 3, 2003)
[...]
Once again, José Luis Turina has shown off his exemplary mastery of musical rhetoric through personal formulas already present in his first compositions, prior to his Roman studies. In Three Trios Turina exhibits that difficult facility that he has to elaborate a solid musical discourse keeping the interest of the listener alive and allowing himself the luxury of enjoying his own formal speculations in search of "elegance", in the sense that mathematicians give to this term.
[...]
Master lessons
By Stefano Russomano
(Review published in the newspaper ABC. (Madrid, Ocotber 5, 2003)
[...]
In "Three Trios", José Luis Turina subjected the staff of the piano trio to a game of decompositions and recompositions. The starting point was offered by clear materials, articulated and developed through skillful and effervescent writing, imbued with a great sense of continuity.
[...]
Between tedium and enthusiasm
By Cosme Marina
(Review published in the newspaper La Nueva España, Oviedo, October 6, 2003)
At an event like the Alicante Contemporary Music Festival, there is room for almost everything -from the highest enthusiasm to boredom or even indignation at premieres of works with minimal substance, musically devoid of interest. Last Thursday, the Trío Arbós -comprising Juan Carlos Garvayo (piano), Miguel Borrego (violin), and José Miguel Gómez (cello)- delivered a true masterclass in interpretation, performing several premieres of varying significance, yet all played with remarkable energy and vigor. «Tres tercetos: trío, triduo y triple», by José Luis Turina, presents a work that is exceptionally well-written, constructed with rigor and effectiveness [...].
[...]
A harmonious trinity
By Francisco Martínez González
(Review published in La Opinión de Málaga newspaper, January 18, 2006)
The Arbós Trio's concert marked the fourth installment of the Contemporary Music Series. Focused on the composer José Luis Turina, its various stages will bring to Málaga -and are already bringing- some of the finest examples of the Spanish musical scene, in a well-justified effort to showcase essential chapters of the work of this Turina, whom another José Luis, García del Busto, calls "a living classic".
The music of José Luis Turina bears traces of that 'aurea mediocritas' the ancients attributed to the wise: that is, to one who has come to be at one with himself, and who judges and acts from a place of calm reflection. Mastery of form, sustained narrative pulse, the ability to intensify and contrast, complexity in service of the music, and that perfect transparency of tradition which, to this writer, seems the noblest expression of modernity. Such qualities are evident in the 'Trio' from 1983 or in the splendid 'Three Tercets', composed in 2003, where the solidity of the foundation supporting Turina's music is a direct consequence of a residue-free internalization of the past.
The brilliant Arbós Trio contributed to the lucid articulation of this music -so full of light- with the strict control and precision of its helmsman, Juan Carlos Garvayo, and the seriousness supported by the flawless technique of Miguel Borrego (violin) and José Miguel Gómez (cello). Such virtues allow them to bring everything they touch vividly to life, to shape it with musical meaning and convey it to the audience, relying on a physical expressiveness that is at once instinctive and a deliberate act of participation -of conviction.
[...]
The ten years of the Trío Arbós
By Álvaro Guibert
(Review published in La Razón newspaper, Madrid, April 2, 2006)
Among the many contributions of the Juan March Foundation to music, one particularly admirable initiative stands out: the «Aula de Reestrenos» (Re-Premieres Classroom), where recent scores worthy of recognition receive a new push. It was here that the Trío Arbós played, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. The ensemble consists of Miguel Borrego (violin), José Miguel Gómez (cello), and Juan Carlos Garvayo (piano) -three outstanding musicians devoted to their cause. Their sound is fantastic and, moreover, flexible, as it adapts just as well to the sonorities of the elder Turina (Joaquín) as to those of his grandson, José Luis. It even meets the exacting demands of Sánchez Verdú's music, which compels the performer to forget the center and explore the edges of sound.
[...] The evening concluded with José Luis Turina, who wove together «Tres tercetos» brimming with music and mastery.
The members of the Trío Arbós embody the ideal performer: precise in craftsmanship, meticulous in sound quality, passionate in their delivery, and humble in their service to the composer. They deserve the happiest of anniversaries.
José Luis Turina faces a high-flying residence
By Jorge Fernández Guerra
Review published in the newspaper El País (Madrid, january 17, 2024)
