Uus Tallinna Trio

New Tallinn Trio has re-popularized the genre of piano trio in Estonia and beside the works of 18th and 19th century it has began to deal with widening the repertoire. As the chamber ensemble consists of renowned contemporary music players, the ensemble has commissioned a number of new piano trios from Estonian composers over the years, premiered those works and recorded them.

New Tallinn Trio was founded in 1997 by three outstanding young generation musicians. The trio involves pianist Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann, violinist Harry Traksmann and cellist Kaido Kelder.

New Tallinn Trio performs regularly in Estonian concert halls and has recorded music for Estonian Public Broadcasting (both for radio and television). Concert tours have taken the trio to Kaustis and Aland chamber music festivals in Finland, Usedom Music Festival in Germany and to Culturescapes festival in Switzerland. In 2001, New Tallinn Trio represented Estonia in the concert series Upbeat/Nordic Talents introducing Scandinavian and Baltic young musicians, performing in Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden and Norway. In 2007, the trio gave a concert at first Fenno-Ugrian Culture Days in Musikverein Vienna Glass Hall. Additionally the trio has performed in UK, Russia, France and US.

New Tallinn Trio has won Estonian contest for young musicians Con Brio (1998), the diploma at Kuhmo International Trio Competition in Finland (1999) and 2nd prize at 2nd Gdansk International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition in Poland (2000).

In 2000, New Tallinn Trio was given the Annual Award of endowment for music of Estonian Cultural Endowment. In 2007, New Tallinn Trio was nominated for National Culture Award for its creative achievements.

The former shape of New Tallinn Trio was called Maruka Trio and it consisted of violinist Ruth Haav, cellist Kaido Kelder and pianist Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann. Already the Maruka Trio participated successfully at chamber music competitions in Graz (Austria), also in Florence and Trieste (both in Italy).

The repertoire of the trio has involved classical works for trio by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Rachmaninov and Dmitri Schostakovitch. Ibid the New Tallinn Trio has contributed firmly in its activities to introducing Estonian music and commissioning new works. New Tallinn Trio has premiered lumineux/opaque by Helena Tulve, Walls by Ülo Krigul, Ausgewählte Salonstücke by Tõnis Kaumann and When the Music Ends the Party Is Over, also Song of Survivors (with Norwegian ensemble Poing) and The Dream Servants by Tõnu Kõrvits.

The cellist of New Tallinn Trio has commented the activity of the ensemble as following: At the Concerts outside Estonia, almost always the trio has been asked to play something from Estonian authors. Ten years ago the choice was not so wide but fortunately in recent years a pleasant amount of works has accrued from Estonian composers so we have performed them at concerts in Tallinn, Riga, Stockholm, Vienna, London, Paris etc. We can gladly say that follow-up for those works has always been positive. (Press release for a concert-performance in series KuMu in KUMU, November 21, 2007)

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Particularly highly I value the sound balance, precise and logical differentiating of lines. /…/ Not from the best condition piano, Marrit Gerretz conjured a fantastic Andante male choir so that strings could add nothing but variations. Anyway, the performance of Trio by Beethoven was at the level worthy of which does not recall.
Toomas Velmet. New Tallinn Trio – magister artium! - Sirp, May 17, 2002

Two movements from Franz Schubert’s Trio (B flat major Op. 99) performed by triple Gerretz-Traksmann – Traksmann – Kelder charmed with exquisitely nuanced violin tone, detail preciseness and Schubert-like sincerity. It makes one want to listen those musicians in some future time.
Evi Arujärv. Con Brio – Without Silk Stockings and Amplification. - Postimees, December 9, 1998

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