Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most important composers of the 20th century, died in August 1975 - 50 years ago now. His work is inextricably linked with the turbulent history of the Soviet Union; a life lived in the field of tension between an inner need for expression and external pressure to conform, between personal tragedy and public responsibility. Few composers understood how to create musical statements of profound ambivalence and emotional power under the conditions of political pressure like he did. Chamber music occupied a special place in his oeuvre: as a retreat of intimacy, reflection and artistic autonomy. The two piano trios and the Piano Quintet op. 57 are exemplary of this aspect of his work. The Piano Trio No. 1 is a youthful work that the 17-year-old composer wrote while still a student at the Leningrad Conservatory. The one-movement piece is characterized by late Romantic expressivity and testifies to his search for his own musical language. The influence of role models such as Rachmaninoff or Skriabin can still be heard here, but the signature of an unconventional talent is already recognizable. The Piano Trio No. 2 op. 67 was composed at a time of personal and national catastrophe. The Jewish folkloristic finale not only refers to the murder of Eastern European Jews, but also symbolizes a bitterly ironic commentary on violence and death.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich's death on August 9, 2025, the Oliver Schnyder Trio has recorded the two piano trios and the Piano Quintet op. 57, with the latter featuring illustrious reinforcements in the form of violinist Julia Fischer and violist Nils Mönkemeyer.