Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio [Chung Piano Trio]
Very surprisingly this is the first time i've ever listened to this disc, i've had it kicking around for quite a while, not quite sure if i should keep it and listen to it, or i should sell it, so i took the plunge, and i'm so glad i did, my first exposure to this work was from a tape with Rubinstein playing, yes it was old, and Rubinstein bangs the keys for all he's worth, quite dramatic, Myung-Whun Chung is more softer and subdued, and this goes for the whole Trio, their approach is thoughtful and measured, but still ardour and passion when needed, Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio is thin on the ground for recordings in my collection [only five!], and none of them are played extensively, i've probably listened to this work no more than twenty times, but each time i hear it, i marvel at the profundity of Tchaikovsky in creating a masterpiece.
The Chung Piano Trio are South Korean, they're an unstable unit i guess, coming together to perform / record, but all three have separate careers to follow, and it's like a part time job i guess, they recorded this disc in 1988, the front booklet cover shows the three siblings somewhat out of focus, with a black background / clothing, all four corners of the booklet are used up in the lettering / logo, with lettering horizontal and vertical, i really like the result, the red logo gives it a dash of colour, white lettering on a black background really stands out, just like this Blog!.
Well it's those variations that always get to me, and even though i like them almost equally, here i enjoyed variations 6-9 the most, there's a certain intensity the music develops, each variation 'eggs' the other on as it were, that's why i get into variations in 'clumps', here's a synopsis of these variations,
6 Tempo Di Valse [5:07-7:33] - The music changes into a beautiful Waltz, full of lovely legato, at first fuelled by the cello, but the violin soon joins in, the music becomes impassioned [5:55+], but soon returns to opening, i feel swept up in this variation, and the passion returns [7:12+].
7 Allegro Moderato [7:34-8:46] - A hard hitting variation by the piano, the keys are banged away, while the violin whoops away in the background.
8 Fuga - Allegro Moderato [8:46-11:21] - The fugue is complex, each instrument taking a line following each other, this was a variation 'rewritten' by Taneyev, who suggested changes to this work, the music reaches some sort of conclusion, where all the instruments join together in unison [10:34+].
9 Andante Flebile Ma Non Tanto [11:22-14:07] - In complete contrast comes an truly sad Andante, Flebile = feeble, the piano has a hypnotic rippling figure to it, while the violin and cello have a dialogue of sadness, the music changes to a happier Major key for the ending [13:30+].
Here's the Chung Piano Trio playing these variations on YouTube.
The Chung Piano Trio are South Korean, they're an unstable unit i guess, coming together to perform / record, but all three have separate careers to follow, and it's like a part time job i guess, they recorded this disc in 1988, the front booklet cover shows the three siblings somewhat out of focus, with a black background / clothing, all four corners of the booklet are used up in the lettering / logo, with lettering horizontal and vertical, i really like the result, the red logo gives it a dash of colour, white lettering on a black background really stands out, just like this Blog!.
Well it's those variations that always get to me, and even though i like them almost equally, here i enjoyed variations 6-9 the most, there's a certain intensity the music develops, each variation 'eggs' the other on as it were, that's why i get into variations in 'clumps', here's a synopsis of these variations,
6 Tempo Di Valse [5:07-7:33] - The music changes into a beautiful Waltz, full of lovely legato, at first fuelled by the cello, but the violin soon joins in, the music becomes impassioned [5:55+], but soon returns to opening, i feel swept up in this variation, and the passion returns [7:12+].
7 Allegro Moderato [7:34-8:46] - A hard hitting variation by the piano, the keys are banged away, while the violin whoops away in the background.
8 Fuga - Allegro Moderato [8:46-11:21] - The fugue is complex, each instrument taking a line following each other, this was a variation 'rewritten' by Taneyev, who suggested changes to this work, the music reaches some sort of conclusion, where all the instruments join together in unison [10:34+].
9 Andante Flebile Ma Non Tanto [11:22-14:07] - In complete contrast comes an truly sad Andante, Flebile = feeble, the piano has a hypnotic rippling figure to it, while the violin and cello have a dialogue of sadness, the music changes to a happier Major key for the ending [13:30+].
Here's the Chung Piano Trio playing these variations on YouTube.
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