CD 67

Chamber Music 3

Johann Baptist Gänsbacher (1778-1844) KLAVIERTRIOS The composer Johann Baptist Gänsbacher, who was born in Sterzing, is one of the Tyrolean musicians acclaimed beyond regional boundaries. Because of his honorable appointment as director of the cathedral music at St Stephen’s in Vienna, he became well known mainly as a church composer, but his secular  works  are  certainly also of high artistic quality. In the chamber music genre, in  particular,  Gänsbacher produced enduringly impressive compositions that were  extremely  popular  in his day and disseminated by reputable publishers. This CD documents three of his five surviving piano trios. In his choice of ensemble indications, Gänsbacher evidently stayed out of the way of the musical titan  Beethoven  purposely, as  far  as  chamber  music was concerned: Gänsbacher composed no piano sonatas or string quartets but preferred the genres neglected by Beethoven, such as piano duet and probably also piano trio. Gänsbacher’s piano trios are completely solid and yet inspired compositions and need not shy at comparison with works by minor masters. Outstanding is the great C Major Piano Trio composed around 1821 that is rich in effects. The second movement is a series of variations on Archduke Karl’s regimental march. Gänsbacher was an offi cer in the Tyrolean Imperial Rifl emen’s regiment at the time.

Track 7, 2:00
Trio in C-major
Allegro

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