Article

Hambourg Trio

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited December 16, 2013

The Hambourg Trio. Name of a succession of piano-violin-cello ensembles involving one or more of the Hambourg family. The original group - Mark, Jan, and Boris Hambourg - appeared in England and toured in Europe as early as 1905.

Hambourg Trio

The Hambourg Trio. Name of a succession of piano-violin-cello ensembles involving one or more of the Hambourg family. The original group - Mark, Jan, and Boris Hambourg - appeared in England and toured in Europe as early as 1905. After the family moved to Toronto, Jan gave a number of concerts 1910-12 with the pianist Richard Tattersall and the cellist Paul Hahn as the Jan Hambourg Trio, but Jan, Boris, and their father Michael also performed together. Mark, Jan, and Boris performed in a Tchaikovsky concert 18 Mar 1915 at Massey Hall, their only appearance together until 29 Apr 1935 when they played the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the TSO. (They toured briefly that same season.) After 1915 the constant member of the trio was Boris, with the pianists Alberto Guerrero 1918-22, Reginald Stewart 1922-8, and Clement Hambourg, and the violinists Jan Hambourg 1918-24, Géza de Kresz 1924-25, Harry Adaskin 1925-6 and 1928-9, Elie Spivak 1926-8, and Vino Harisay in 1930. Many of the Hambourg Trios' appearances were for the Hambourg Concert Society, in conjunction with other artists. During some seasons the trio of the day would give concerts in other Ontario towns.

The de Kresz-Hambourg Trio (Géza de Kresz, Boris Hambourg, and pianist Norah Drewett de Kresz) was active 1948-52 mainly in Toronto, but also made one tour to the USA.