Hermitage Piano Trio: Rachmaninoff and More at Montreal Debut

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The Hermitage Piano Trio is known for its devotion to Rachmaninoff, but with the composer’s 150th anniversary almost past, the ensemble is looking to expand its horizons through international performances and more varied repertoire.

On Dec. 3, violinist Misha Keylin, pianist Ilya Kazantsev, and cellist Sergey Antanov will perform their last Rachmaninoff work of the year, Trio élégiaque, at their Ladies’ Morning Musical Club (LMMC) concert in Montreal. They will pair the piece with Piano Trio No. 1 by Brahms, and Piano Trio by contemporary American composer Amy Beach.

Keylin says their fascination with Rachmaninoff, whose works they’ve recorded and performed at concerts more than 75 times, stems from the way his music “just grabs the soul.”

“It’s such passionate music that sometimes he can be taken over by it,” Keylin said. “That’s a very dangerous thing, because you always need to be in control of the instrument.”

Rachmaninoff was aware of how the piano could “destroy” a pair of string instruments with its big, loud sound, Keylin explains. As such, the composer made string players compete with the pianists in his works, rather than positioning them as supportive of the piano. This plays well to the Hermitage Piano Trio’s strengths.

“One of the things I love about Ilya’s playing is that he’s always aware of what he’s doing, and how it affects the sound of the ensemble,” said Keylin. “At the same time, he’s not being controlled by our lack of ability to have a big sound, so he can play freely.”

The trio members are also connected to the composer through their cultural histories. During the First World War, and 1917’s resulting Russian Revolution, Rachmaninoff fled Russia to establish himself in the U.S. Similarly, Antanov and Kazantsev emigrated to the U.S. from Moscow as adults, while Keylin, who started playing violin in Saint Petersburg when he was 6, moved permanently at 9.

If their second album Spanish Impressions is any indication, though, the ensemble is trying to venture beyond the familiar. The 2023 recording features out-of-print, relatively unknown works by Spanish composers Enrique Fernández Arbós and Ramón Perelló, among others. Because the trio thought transcribing the works would be an “easy way out,” they asked the album’s producers to find original sheet music in library archives across Europe.

“It took our producers over a year and a half to get all three of the Perelló movements together. One was found in England, one in Spain, and one in Germany,” Keylin said. “There was not one (place) where all three of the movements were together.”

The Hermitage Piano Trio won’t play any tracks from the new album at their LMMC concert, but they will still be furthering their goal to explore different cultures by performing in Montreal.

“I have been to Montreal many times as a tourist with my family, (as have) Sergey and Ilya, but we’ve never performed there,” Keylin said. “It’s really exciting for us to make our debut in the beautiful city, knowing its history and culture.”