Estonian Piano Trios

The piano trio began to be embraced by Estonian composers around the turn of the 20th century. Composers of that era, many of whom were educated in St. Petersburg, were greatly influenced by the then Russian capital's rich musical life. Estonia's own national musical awakening was later spearheaded by these very composers. The piano trio POLL-VAREMA-POLL was founded in 2013 by Mihkel Poll piano, Mari Poll violin and Henry-David Varema cello, and since then has performed in Europe as well as in Russia and China, at venues such as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and the Estonia Concert Hall. All three artists have prominent recital, orchestral, teaching careers and are recognized for their distinctive creative perspectives. They are enthusiastic champions of the piano trio genre, per-forming the widest possible range of repertoire from Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms to con-temporary composers. Works by Estonian com-posers including national classics Artur Lemba and Heino Eller, and modern-day composers such as Erkki-Sven Tüür, Arvo Pärt and Riho Esko Maimets have an important place in their concert programs.