The concert also showcases two new, shorter collaborations between Fidelio Trio and QUB Professors of Composition Piers Hellawell and Simon Mawhinney. Both have long collaborative associations with Fidelio, including large-scale piano works (Hunshigo, Mawhinney) and for trio with narrator (Up By The Roots, Hellawell) - works previously recorded for CD, within Queen’s, by these artists.  

This concert programme presents brand-new trios written for Fidelio Trio: Piers Hellawell’s trio Arrowhead, written in 2023, has not been heard before tonight; its official premiere will be in Iowa City in February 2024. Simon Mawhinney’s In Three was premiered at Portico in 2022; In Three pays direct tribute to Beethoven and was designed to be paired with the Trio op.97, which stands among the greatest landmarks of his chamber output. 

Fidelio Trio are rightly celebrated for their tireless advocacy of new music, and specifically for their support for a huge range of composers across Ireland, which has led to numerous commissions and recordings. BBC Radio 3 commented about their recorded work that “The performances are absolutely wonderful…stylish virtuosity… instinctive brilliance”.

Photo by Christopher Baines