The Beaux Arts Trio, after a dazzling 53-year career, has retired this month. Menahem Pressler, 84 years old and last trio’s founding member didn’t wish to continue the adventure and form a new violonist. Indeed, Daniel Hope announced, because of his growing solo career, that he couldn’t ensure anymore the yearly 75-80 trio’s concerts.

The Beaux Arts Trio started in 1955 during the Festival of Tanglewood, Massachussets, with Menahem Pressler at the piano, Daniel Guilet on the violin and Bernard Greenhouse on the cello. At the time, the trio couldn’t manage to sign for a major label and recorded for a minor one, in only 3 hours, for free, their first record “Mendelssohn Dvorak”. 8 months later, the trio learnt that this record was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque. The trio signed a few months later with Philips and was launched.

The NPR “podcasts” the Beaux Arts Trio’s farewell concert at Tanglewood, where all began. I also suggest you the following two links, thanks to which you can listen to the 2 Schubert’s trios opus 99 and 100, by the famous Trio. At the piano Menahem Pressler, on the violin Daniel Hope and on the cello Antonio Meneses.

First part of the concert

Second part

Goodbye Beaux Arts Trio and thank you for all this musical happiness!