Turbulent, fanciful, and intensely intimate, Schumann's D Minor and F Major piano trios burst with creative energy. This album explores the inner worlds of colour and texture that can only be found in the iridescent pianos from Schumann's time - in this case, an 1830 Streicher. The members of Trio Ilona combine a thorough study of Schumann-circle performance practices, a deep grasp of Schumann's compositional language tied to the art of improvisation, and a shared interest in Schumann's irresistible musical depictions of the otherworldly and the sublime. This is chamber music in every sense of the word: the sound has a confidential quality to it, with layers of detail that bring the listener into the room with the Drawing inspiration from the great Brahms-circle pianist, Ilona Eibenschutz (1873-1967), Trio Ilona seeks to recover the vibrancy, nuance, and flair of pre-twentieth-century classical playing. Grammy award-winning violinist, Ravenna Lipchik, performs and tours regularly with ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, The English Concert, Ruckus Early Music, Twelfth Night, and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra. Cellist Kate Bennett Wadsworth has appeared at festivals across Europe and North America with ensembles such as B'Rock, Tafelmusik, Arion, the Gabrieli Consort, and the Academy of Ancient Music, and given lecture- recitals and masterclasses on 19th-century performance practice at the Juilliard School, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Orpheus Insitute, and the Utrecht Early Music Festival. Pianist Yi-heng Yang has been described as an "exquisite collaborator (Opera News), "suberbly adept (Gramophone)" and noted for her "remarkable expressivity and technique (Early Music Magazine)." Her first solo fortepiano album, "Free Spirits: Early Romantic Music on the Graf Piano (Deux-Elles)," received critical praise, including a 4-star rating by BBC Music Magazine. She teaches fortepiano and historical improvisation at the Juilliard School.
