Manfred Trojahn's amply dimensioned piano quartet in four movements with
a duration of approx. 40 minutes was composed and developed in several
stages.
The inner movements, a Vivace characterised by lombard
rhythms and vitality and a dream-like adagio were written in the Mozart
Year 2005. By 2008 the outer movements were completed. The opening
Adagio "Zerbrochenes Lied" is an imposing lamentation of the dead
whereas the Finale, a profound, moving "Wanderlied", was dedicated to
Trojahn's friend and composer Wilhelm Killmayer on the occasion of his
80th birthday. In this way Trojahn's work stands in the tradition of Mozart's two piano quartets, but adds a biographical element.
This is a large, musically demanding but rewarding work for ambitious musicians.