Commissioned by the Cheltenham Festival, "TRI-O-TRI" (Trio No.3 for violin, cello and piano) by Dmitri Smirnov was written in 2004 and premiered by the
"Florestan Trio" on 7th July 2005. There are 3 movements: 1. Lento, 2. Andante (Passacaglia), 3. Sostenuto. The duration of the composition is about 17 minutes.
Dmitri Nikolaevich Smirnov (pen names Dmitri N. Smirnov and D. Smirnov-Sadovsky) is a Russian and British composer. He was born in 1948 in Minsk into a family of opera singers Nikolay Senkin-Sadovsky and Eugenia Smirnova. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory 1967-1972 under Nikolai Sidelnikov, Yuri Kholopov and Edison Denisov. He also studied privately with Philip Herschkowitz, a pupil of both Berg and Webern. Since 1991 Smirnov has been resident of England. He was a Fellow at University of Cambridge, St John's College, a Composer-in-Residence in Dartington, and Visiting Professor at Keele University (1993-8). In 1998 Smirnov and his family settled in St Albans. From 2003 he has taught at the Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is married to the composer Elena Firsova. Their children are Philip Firsov (an artist and sculptor), and Alissa Firsova (a composer, pianist and conductor).