The Spilliaert Trio – works by Mozart, Mel Bonis and César Franck

Formed in Brussels, the Spilliaert Trio owes its name and initial inspiration to the Belgian painter Léon Spilliaert (1881–1946). It comprises pianist Gauvain de Morant, violinist Jean-Samuel Bez and cellist Guillaume Lagravière. The Spilliaert Trio is an affiliate member of Chamber Music for Europe, a laureate of the Royaumont Foundation, a member of the Dimore del Quartetto network in Italy, and part of the Proquartet ensembles in Paris. They are featured in the Art et Vie catalogue of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Their first album, released on Cyprès Records (2021), is dedicated to a complete recording of the trios by the composer Désiré Pâque. In 2021, they made the very first recording of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Trio 1848. In 2022, they released a second album, on the Cybele label, featuring the complete trios by Jacqueline Fontyn, followed by ‘Augusta’ in 2024, a Belgian-Irish project centred on Augusta Holmès (LP), and finally ‘Alchemy’, their fourth album, a complete recording of the trio music by Alex de Taeye and Lucie Vellère, due to be released on Cypres in 2026. The Trio has made it its mission to perform and champion the Belgian repertoire, with the support of the Musicabel association, by including a work by a Belgian composer in every concert. In 2023, this commitment was recognised with the FUGA Prize, awarded by the Union of Belgian Composers. Keen to showcase contemporary music, the three musicians are dedicated to performing the music of our time, creating new works and collaborating with festivals such as Belgian Music Days and Osmose. The Trio regularly commissions new works, notably from Jan Kuijken, Alithéa Ripoll and Nicolas Bacri. It has also contributed to performances in collaboration with theatre and dance companies, and created the show *Monsieur Pâque* for the Jeunesses Musicales de Wallonie-Bruxelles. Having won several prizes in international competitions, the Spilliaert Trio notably won First Prize at the Svirél International Competition in Slovenia and the City of Lège-Cap-Ferret Prize at the Open Cap Ferret. Active on the Belgian and international scene, it has performed at numerous festivals in Belgium and France.