OUT NOW | The Sitkovetsky Trio's New Album of French Piano Trios

"It was very interesting to explore the completely different sound worlds of two great piano trios that were only written around 20 years apart"

BIS Records announced the release of the Sitkovetsky Trio's new album, "Ravel & Saint-Saëns Piano Trios."

The CD pairs French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel's piano trio with French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor — written only 20 years apart but inhabiting vastly different sound worlds. The album's release coincides with the centennial of Saint-Saëns' death.

"We have been living with both of these works for a number of years, often putting them into the same recital program, and we loved how the two pieces worked together so well," violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky told The Violin Channel. "The different personalities of the composers really shine through — Saint-Saëns the great Statesman of the Romantic tradition and Ravel, the visionary leading the Impressionist movement into the 20th century. We hope that the listeners love both of these works equally as we do and ... are looking forward to taking the listeners on a wonderful creative journey."

Sitkovetsky commented on the passion, organ-like textures, and dramatic unisons in the Saint-Saëns and the incredible color palette in the Ravel, which he called "a symphony for three instruments."

The trio — Sitkovetsky, cellist Isang Enders, and pianist Wu Qian — often performs in the world's foremost concert halls including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Frankfurt Alte Oper, and Lincoln Center. They have won a number of awards including the International Commerzbank Chamber Music Award and NORDMETALL Chamber Music Award.

The album's July 2, 2021 release marks the Sitkovetsky Trio's fourth with BIS Records. You can purchase it here or here and stream it on Apple Music and Spotify.