Fountain of Youth

Mithras Trio’s second album for Linn, Fountain of Youth, showcases early works by Shostakovich, Korngold and Lisney, continuing the ‘intriguing and eclectic’ programming The Guardian praised on its first album Eros. Fountain of Youth highlights the surprising number of piano trios written by composers at the very start of their careers and features the World Premiere Recording of Petrichor by cellist Joy Lisney. Commissioned by Mithras Trio and premiered at Wigmore Hall in January 2023, this evocatively titled work is named after the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. Two youthful works by Shostakovich and Korngold complete the album: in Shostakovich’s First Piano Trio we find hints of the composer’s mature style, where grotesque and late-Romantic moments mingle in a single-movement trio, and in Korngold’s first published work, the Piano Trio, Op. 1, the influences of Mahler, Strauss and Puccini do not detract from the young composer’s already unique voice and exceptional maturity.

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Mithras Trio Ionel Manciu, Violin Leo Popplewell, Cello Dominic Degavino, Piano