Composer Josef Suk was the pupil and son in law of Dvořák, the grandfather of the first violinist of this trio and the composer of the second piece on this album. I wrote earlier about Suk. His elegy is a late romantic, short composition with thoroughly nationalistic traits. It is based on the romantic epic poems of the Czech writer Julius Zeyer, to whom the elegy is devoted.
The full title of the composition is Elegie for Piano Trio, Under the impression of Zeyer’s Vyšehrad. Vyšehrad is the fortress that towers over the Czech capital of Prague. Suk had composed incidental music for Zeyer’s play Radúz a Mahulena and the two became friends. A second piece was planned, but before it could be finished, the writer died. So instead, Suk did what any good composer would do: he channeled his feelings into music by creating this wonderful elegy in his memory.