Three instruments, three sensibilities, and a single musical discourse. In chamber music, listening is essential when playing together: recognizing the moment to give space to the other, building a connection that transcends the notes. The balance that is created is a collaboration that requires attention and trust and, over time, also involves the personal dimension.
This is what the Orelon Trio offered its audience, performing at the Teatro Civico in Sassari on November 11th as part of the Itinerari Musicali dell'Identità series. On stage, Judith Stapf on violin, Arnau Rovira i Bascompte on cello, and Marco Sanna on piano explored three works from the repertoire for piano and strings: Ludwig van Beethoven's Trio, Op. 1 No. 1 , Dmitri Shostakovich's Trio, Op. 8 "Poème," and Johannes Brahms's Trio, Op. 8. This journey contrasted the formal rigor of Viennese Classicism, the Romantic impetus, and the diverse nuances of lyricism, showcasing the expressive richness of this ensemble.
The Orelon Trio, founded in Cologne in 2019, has embarked on an international journey studded with major awards in just a few years. First prize at the Graz and Melbourne competitions and victory at the ARD Competition in Munich, along with the Audience Award, have contributed to their subsequent appearances on some of Europe's most prestigious stages, from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Alte Oper in Frankfurt.
Yet, for the three musicians, the primary foundation of their work together isn't success, but rather the ability to communicate. The ability to listen to one another not only during rehearsals and concerts, when every gesture must find a response in the others, but also in everyday life. " For us, listening to one another goes far beyond the musical dimension ," they say. The trio spends much of their time together, rehearsing daily: understanding how each other is doing, recognizing each other's needs and moods, has become an integral part of making music. A relationship born initially on a professional basis and transformed, over about seven years of shared activity, into a true friendship.
Even the name chosen for the ensemble conveys this idea: Orelon means "ear" in Esperanto. A word that recalls the nature of ensemble music, where one limits oneself to one's own part, but pays attention to what is happening around them. Alongside great composers, the musicians devote significant attention to lesser-known works and to female composers who have long remained on the margins of musical history. With the project Beethoven's Daughters, they seek to bring his works back to light, while their debut album, released in 2022, was dedicated to the American composer Amy Beach.
The Orelon Trio's growth has also been driven by international competitions, experiences that have shaped and strengthened their artistic identity. In the early years, the musicians explain, preparing for the competitions required a great deal of time and intense work, allowing them to broaden their repertoire and strengthen their understanding. Winning the ARD Competition then opened up new possibilities, bringing numerous invitations in Germany and abroad. " For us, it was a huge, life-changing opportunity ," they emphasize. An award alone doesn't guarantee a career: recognition must be transformed into lasting relationships, continued work, and renewed the trust of those who choose to invite the ensemble.
Their focus on competitions, therefore, remains very focused, as they represent important opportunities for contact with the professional world, but not only that. " They shouldn't become a goal in themselves ," they observe, recalling how many young musicians manage to build solid careers even without winning major prizes. Their testimony traces in these formative experiences the opportunity for direct interaction with a jury. External recognition, in their case, confirmed an already held belief: playing together worked and it was worth pursuing.
In Sassari, the concert also had a special meaning for Marco Sanna, the trio's pianist, who was born in Cagliari and graduated from the city's Conservatory before moving to Germany, where he has lived for sixteen years. Returning to Sardinia with his fellow travelers meant sharing with their homeland part of the journey they had made away from home. This sentiment found a significant moment in the meeting with the students and the audience the day after the concert, November 12th at 10:30 a.m. in the Piero Guarino Hall of the Sassari Conservatory.
For Sanna, the interaction with the young musicians was particularly valuable: " Growing up as an artist on an island means everything feels more difficult and distant ," she says. Distance, the need to travel to reach the rest of Italy, and the feeling of having narrower horizons can make access to the professional world more difficult. This is why meeting the young Sardinian musicians captured a profound meaning: " I know how difficult it can be to find your own path. Being able to share what I've learned with them is very important ." Alongside this desire is the joy of playing in a place where her loved ones can be present. For the entire trio, they explain, performing in the homeland of one of the members creates a unique emotion, similar to that experienced in Catalonia, a land linked to Arnau Rovira i Bascompte.
Here, music becomes, once again, a way to bring together different experiences and journeys: those of those who have already traveled part of the journey and those seeking their own path. Authenticity is found in this sharing.
The next event in the Musical Itineraries of Identity series is scheduled for November 15th at the Auditorium of the Cagliari Conservatory, featuring violinist Anna Tifu, born in the Sardinian capital and now enjoying an international career, and French pianist Julien Quentin.
Tickets are available on Vivaticket.
The complete program of musical events can be found on the festival's website .