Classical entrée: Dohnányi Ernő — Serenade, Op. 10 (for string trio), Mvt. 2: Romanza [3:40]

Dohnányi Ernő (1877­–1960) was a Hungarian pianist and composer. He was particularly well known as a young performing pianist. His musical style was pretty well rooted in late Romanticism (think Brahms, Rachmaninov).

String trios are a bit less popular than string quartets, which is a shame because trios strike a great balance between fullness and agility. Most trios (like this one) are written for violin/viola/cello, but there are all sorts of much less common combinations.

This movement is very simple and sweet. It's somewhat ambiguously set in C Mixolydian, which sounds a little bit "softer" than major. There's just a single core phrase, first heard in the viola [2:12], then the violin [4:10], then one more time incompletely in the violin [5:20].