“Unity in Variety: Musical Path to Reconciliation” 

Felix Mendelssohn considered unity in variety the essence of the beautiful. Through masterpieces by Brahms and Ravel, Mendelssohn Piano Trio explores this idea and its broader implications for reconciliation in our increasingly fractured society. Mendelssohn Piano Trio explores both meanings of the word “reconciliation:” restoration of peaceful and friendly relationships, as well as making things compatible with each other. The program includes Brahms Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major and Ravel Piano Trio. Brahms wrote his Sonata Op. 100 as a reconciliation gift to his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim and his wife, after their contentious separation which even involved a legal battle in which Brahms testified on wife’s behalf. The Ravel Piano Trio, written on the eve of World War I, is a perfect example of great artist’s ability to reconcile seemingly incompatible cultural influences such as French baroque forms, jazz harmonies and Javanese dance rhythms.