Join the New World Trio in its celebration of “best loved” masterpieces as New World celebrates its 40th year. These are the “works of genius” that are universally admired in the trio literature.

And yet, what makes a masterpiece? Why do certain works become deeply loved canons? For that matter, what makes music so compelling in the first place? We can hardly imagine a movement, a cause, or religion without it. From national anthems to college football fight songs to sea chanties to medieval chants, we have always relied on music to carry us forward, and to define our tasks and purposes.

Surely as with our heartbeat, rhythmic music almost forces movement from us, but what of our other needs? Contemplation in the form of a soulful violin line; tension from a piano ostinato; depth from the cello’s lower tones: these sounds can explore questions that one has not yet even thought to ask. All great art does this.

What makes a masterpiece? We know about the emotional and spiritual effects of great works, the originality needed to produce them, and the way they are frequently built on what came before.

There is an inspiring and satisfying quality that should never leave us fully sated, but instead both thoughtful and uplifted. Violin. Cello. Piano. A powerful combination indeed: a trinity of expression that ranges from the richly orchestral to the quiet inner voice, all done with the economy of just three instruments.

What makes a masterful program? It is when each piece is selected to set off the others, effectively becoming a movement within a larger composition – the program itself. Each piece is there to serve the whole of the program and add depth to the other works, sometimes by contrast, other times by similarity. For four decades New World has been blending the best of classical chamber music into “magnum opus” concerts. New World’s performances are followed by a reception where its listeners can engage with the musicians in an atmosphere as stimulating as the programs themselves.