Event Archives

Trio con Brio Copenhagen

3 musicians with their instruments, laying on the piano
Photo Credit: Nikolaj Lund

“Radiant Russian memorials and unforgettable playing”

BBC music Magazine

Celebrated for its “unforgettable playing” (BBC Music Magazine), Trio con Brio Copenhagen offers poignant reflections on life and mortality in a program featuring piano trios by Weinberg and Schubert. Both works channel the composers’ personal melancholy, painting vivid emotional landscapes that balance fragile beauty with lyrical warmth. Weinberg’s Piano Trio, composed after his escape from Nazi-occupied Poland, simmers with tension beneath moments of tenderness. Schubert’s Trio No. 2, written a year before his death, radiates serenity and melancholy, inspired by a Swedish folk song of solitude and sadness.

Adding a contemporary voice, the ensemble presents a new commission by Danish composer Louise Alenius. Apatiens anatomi (“The Anatomy of Apathy”) premiered earlier this year, dissecting traditional forms through its dramatic atmosphere and exploring the stages of apathy—extending the program’s meditation on emotional resilience and expressive restraint.

Program

The Passenger

Louise Alenius: Piano Trio (2025)
Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Piano Trio, OP. 24
Franz Schubert: Piano Trio #2, E-flat Major, Op. 100

About Trio con Brio Copenhagen

Recognized as one of the world’s finest piano ensembles, the Trio con Brio Copenhagen’s multifaceted members are not only performing artists who tour extensively, but also esteemed recording artists, artistic directors and educators. The Trio appears regularly at the world’s leading venues and concert series, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, Berlin’s Pierre Boulez-Saal, the Concertgebouw and many more. Trio con Brio is a recipient of the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Award, one of Denmark’s most prestigious prizes.

Trio con Brio Copenhagen is a fusion of two overlapping “musical pairs:” two sisters, violinist Soo-Jin Hong and cellist Soo-Kyung Hong, are from South Korea; pianist Jens Elvekjaer, Soo-Kyung’s spouse, is from Denmark. Founded at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in 1999, the Trio is now based in Copenhagen and is recognized for its exceptional musicianship, fresh approach to the core repertoire, adventurous programming and a commitment to bringing music to young people through their highly creative concerts.

The ensemble’s recordings have received tremendous critical acclaim. The latest album of Shostakovich and Arensky trios (Orchid Classics) was a Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” and also singled out by BBC Music Magazine as a “Chamber Choice” of the month. The disc also just won the German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik), and was singled out among other winning titles including the Berlin Philharmonic, Frank Peter Zimmermann, and Quatuor Ebène. An album featuring the complete Beethoven piano trios (Orchid Classics) garnered broad, enthusiastic praise from critics and fans alike with the BBC Music Magazine calling it “a triumph.” The Trio has also recorded the work of leading Scandinavian composers, including Per Nørgård, Bent Sørensen and Sven-David Sandström, who have written works for the group.

As visionary artistic directors who are known for their insatiable curiosity, inventive programming and engaging children’s concerts, Trio con Brio Copenhagen plays a vital role in the cultural life of Denmark. This season they are collaborating with leading Danish actor Søren Sætter-Lassen on their new musical production of “The Little Prince” set to open at The Royal Danish Theatre. A tour is planned the following year.

Trio con Brio Copenhagen serves as artistic directors of the annual festival, Chamber Music at Lundsgaard, and the Hellerup Chamber Music Society in Copenhagen.

Soo-Jin plays an Andrea Guarneri violin, Soo-Kyung plays a Grancino cello, and Jens is Denmark’s first Steinway Artist. Both string players are endorsed by Jargar Strings and Thomastik-Infeld Vienna.

Artist Website | Facebook | Instagram

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When
  • Sat, Oct 11, 2025 at 7:30pm
Where

Baldwin Auditorium
1336 Campus Drive
Durham, NC 27705

Venue Details
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