Gokotta Trio

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

“Kegelstatt” Trio in E flat major, K. 498 (Mozart)

i Andante
ii Menuetto
iii Rondeaux: Allegretto

Mozart wrote the piano trio on 10 sheets in Vienna and dated the manuscript on 5 August 1786. The German word Kegelstatt means “a place where skittles are played”, akin to a duckpin bowling alley. Mozart wrote that he composed the 12 Duos for Two (French) Horns (not basset horns as is commonly thought), K. 487, “while playing skittles”; on the first page of the autograph manuscript of K. 487, Mozart inscribed the following: “Wienn den 27.t Jullius 1786 untern Kegelscheiben” (Vienna, 27 July 1786 while playing skittles). A week and a half later, Mozart composed and dated the trio E♭ K. 498. He entered this work into his list of compositions simply as: “Ein Terzett für klavier, Clarinett und Viola” (A trio for piano, clarinet and viola). There is no evidence that Mozart gave any nickname to the K. 498 trio; the moniker Kegelstatt first appears ascribed to the K. 498 trio in Ludwig von Köchel’s 1862 thematic catalogue of Mozart’s music.

Paul Juon (1872-1940)

Trio Miniatures from Op. 18 and Op. 24 (Juon)

i Rêverie, Op.18 No.3
ii Humoreske, Op.18 No.7
iii Elegie, Op.18 No.6
iv Danse phantastique, Op.24 No.2

The “Trio Miniatures” are among the most frequently played chamber music works by the Russian-Swiss composer Paul Juon (1872-1940). Originally written for piano, the four pieces “Rêverie” (after op 18 no 3), “Humoresque” (after op 18 no 7), “Elegy” (after op 18 no 6) and “Danse fantastique “(op. 24 No. 2 after) give a wonderful insight into Juons sound poetry, his art of storytelling in music, his joy in dancing and rhythmic surprises. The carefully revised edition contains all the possible changes of instrumentation and includes the clarinet in the score for the first time. Numerous differences between the score and parts were removed, earlier editorial additions revealed and mistakes corrected. A detailed audit report gives information about it.

Johannes Brahms (1883-1897)

Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano in A minor, Op. 114 (Brahms)

i Allegro
ii Adagio
iii Andantino gracioso
iv Allegro

The Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114, is one of four chamber works composed by Johannes Brahms featuring the clarinet as a primary instrument. It was written in the summer of 1891 for the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld. It is considered by scholars as part of a rebirth for the composer who in 1890 declared his String Quintet in G major to be his final work.

Performers

Gokotta Trio (Clarinet Trio)

• Stefan Bulyha - Clarinet
• Eugenia García Cuesta - Viola
• Pei-En Wu - Piano

Gokotta Trio is a London-based clarinet, viola, and piano trio, formed by three talented musicians from the Royal Academy of Music currently in their third year of the undergraduate degree. They are enthusiastic about exploring diverse repertoire, not only classical but also contemporary music, in order to introduce this type of less-performed ensemble to a wider range of audience. Established in September 2022, Gokotta Trio has already held successful recitals at the Southwark Cathedral and Regent Hall in London, and was invited to perform in the Academy’s annual summer piano festival last June.

Stefan Bulyha (clarinet) grew up in Rivne, Ukraine. During his studies at the College, he participated in more than 20 competitions, where he became a winner or laureate. Currently, Stefan is studying with Chris Richards under a double scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2022, Stefan successfully performed the UK premier of Vitaliy Hubarenko’s “Aria” for clarinet and string orchestra in Royal Festival Hall with the London Contemporary Orchestra. Additionally, Stefan became a scholar of Hattori Foundation, Drake Calleja trust and Talent Unlimited.

Eugenia García Cuesta (viola) was born and raised in Asturias, Spain, and is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music in the class of Ashan Pillai. She started playing the viola when her brother introduced her to the instrument and promptly started her studies at her local conservatory. As she grew up, she has taken part in music festivals in Germany and New York.

Pei-En Wu (piano) is a Taiwanese pianist currently studying with Ian Fountain at the Royal Academy of Music. Having played the piano since the age of four, Pei-En has been a laureate of various competitions. In 2020, she won the third prize at the National Student Competition of Music in Taiwan, following with her public recital debut later the year. Despite being born in Taiwan, Pei-En grew up in Shanghai and has performed in some major concert venues across the city, including the Shanghai Symphony Hall and the Oriental Arts Center.