Masson - Trio for clarinet, cello & piano

ANAM Recital 06/09/16 The Trio for clarinet, cello and piano was commissioned as a companion piece for Beethoven’s Clarinet Trio in B flat, Op. 11. Másson reflects on the Italian aria, ’Pria ch’io l’impegno’, used by Beethoven in the variations of the Trio’s finale, but uses the Icelandic folksong Blástjarnan (Bluestar - a type of flower, also known as a Marsh Felwort). The song mentions the eyes of Sváfa, a Valkyrie of Norse mythology: Blástjarnan þótt skarti skær hún skal ei framar pína sjón mína því aðrar fegri eru tvær er mér tindra miklu nær og undir Svöfu augnabrúnum skína. The Marsh Felwort with her ornaments bright she shall no longer torture my eyes The other two are fairer, which shine brightly closer to me and under Sváfa’s eyebrows shine.