This is a gem of a disc, this performance was my first exposure to this work, and i remember a moment on holiday on the south coast i played this, and its opening bars are so incredible, usually Chamber Music is played on a smaller scale, representing smaller themes, but Beethoven is so universal, that he produces Chamber Music that is on a par with the Symphony / Opera, this is what i like about Beethoven, his music never seems to be mere entertainment, but rather something deeper and spiritual instead, how can you get something so universal with just three people?.
Wilhelm Kempff is only a third of these performers i know, and yet he has such a commanding presence, his playing is stamped all over these two Trios, he was born in Germany over a hundred years ago [1895], and he died just over ten years ago [1991], he made this recording in 1970, the front cover is a painting by Matti Vartto called 'Wasserlauf' [watercourse].
This Trio is so sublime at times, i feel that i've drifted to another world, and even with Beethoven's high standard, he surpasses himself in the heavenly Andante Cantabile third movement, where he uses the theme and variations to a dreamy perfection,
Here's the John Gould Piano Trio playing the third movement on YouTube.
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