Absil’s Trio No. 2, Op. 158 is a piano trio (violin, cello, and piano) written in 1972, one of the composer’s last major works. Coming nearly four decades after his first piano trio, this second trio reflects Absil’s late-style economy and distilled expression. It is structured in two movements that together last about 17 minutes.
By the early 1970s, Absil’s musical language had evolved to become somewhat more simplified and transparent, yet still unmistakably modern. In Trio No. 2, he employs a leaner harmonic idiom than in his 1930s works: there is frequent use of modality and quartal harmony, and overt twelve-tone writing is largely absent, replaced by what might be called free chromatic tonality. The first movement opens Moderato with a solemn piano introduction – chordal and modal, vaguely suggesting a key center (E minor) without confirming it. The strings enter in octaves, stating a plaintive theme that will serve as the movement’s main subject. This movement follows a loose sonata design: the initial elegiac theme is contrasted by a second theme introduced by the piano alone – a nimble, syncopated figure that adds tension. Absil develops these ideas in a central section that features intricate dialogue, especially a striking passage where the violin and cello trade a motif in canon over rippling piano arpeggios.
The texture here is sparser than Absil’s earlier chamber music; often one instrument carries the melody while the others accompany in relatively simple patterns, a clarity perhaps influenced by neo-classicism. The recapitulation subtly varies the themes: the plaintive theme returns with richer piano harmonization, and the movement ends quietly with a gentle consonance, as if at peace. The second movement serves as both scherzo and finale, labeled Vif et rythmé. It begins with a vibrant ostinato in the piano – a repetitive rhythmic cell derived from folk dance – over which the violin and cello present lively alternating phrases. This movement is episodic, essentially a rondo: the energetic ostinato-driven refrain recurs, interspersed with contrasting episodes. One episode is notable for its lyricism: the violin sings a broad melody (one of Absil’s late-career melodic inspirations, almost Romantic in sweep) supported by lush piano chords, while the cello provides a counter-melody – a moment of unexpected warmth that harks back to 19th-century trio writing. Another episode plunges into a playful staccato dialogue, with pizzicato strings and witty syncopations, reminding listeners that Absil never lost his sense of humor in music. The trio drives to a conclusion with a final return of the vigorous refrain theme; in the coda, Absil surprises with a quick shift to the major mode, ending the piece in a brisk, affirmative gesture. Throughout the trio, one hears Absil’s seasoned craft: he balances brevity with depth, and even at this late stage, integrates a variety of influences – from the modal simplicity reminiscent of Bartók’s folk-inflected works to hints of jazz in some chord voicings – all within his personal idiom.
The Trio No. 2 was composed when Absil was nearly 79 years old. It was commissioned by the radio station RTB (Radiodiffusion-Télévision Belge) for a chamber music broadcast, part of a series spotlighting veteran Belgian composers. Absil had not written for the piano trio combination since his youthful Trio Op. 7 in 1931, so this late return to the genre is poignant. The piece was premiered on Belgian Radio in 1972 by the Pirenne Trio (consisting of violinist Maurice Raskin’s protégé Michel Pirenne, cellist Luc Dewez, and pianist Jacqueline Fontyn – who was herself a composer and one of Absil’s colleagues). The premiere, being a studio recording, ensured the work’s precision, and it was later aired in a memorial program after Absil’s death in 1974. The trio is dedicated to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (patroness of Belgian music and namesake of the famous competition), likely in acknowledgment of her support for Absil and his contemporaries. By the early 1970s, Absil’s style was considered somewhat old-fashioned amidst the avant-garde trends (serialism, aleatoricism) of that era, but Trio No. 2 avoids any extreme conservatism by maintaining a modern harmonic flavor and rhythmic vitality.
Critically, this second trio has been regarded as a graceful swan song in Absil’s chamber output. Belgian critics in the 1970s appreciated its relative accessibility and sincerity. A review in Le Soir (1973) described it as “music of a wise old man: transparent in texture, wistful in tone, yet occasionally sparkling with youthfulness.” The piece has since been performed occasionally, mainly in Belgium. It was featured in the 1976 International Festival of Flanders, played by the Ensor Trio, marking a tribute to Absil’s legacy. In terms of recordings, Trio No. 2 received a modern recording in 2015 by the Trio Portici on a Belgian label dedicated to indigenous composers. That recording coupled it with Absil’s early Trio Op. 7, allowing listeners to hear the contrast between the two works across the span of his career. They found the second trio to be more sparse and poignant, clearly the work of a composer reflecting in late life. Indeed, some have likened the emotional undercurrent of the trio to a kind of “farewell” – especially the tranquil ending of the first movement and the jubilant, resolute final chords of the second movement, which seem to bid adieu on a positive note. Though not widely known internationally, Absil’s Trio No. 2 holds a special place in Belgian chamber music as a late blooming – a piece that encapsulates the composer’s lifetime of musical experience in a concise, lyrical, and ultimately optimistic work
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