Beethoven - Piano Trio 7 'Archduke' [Trio Fontenay]

This is a really fantastic set of the Beethoven Piano trios, ditching a few of the pieces that haven't got opus numbers, it's all squeezed onto three discs, i must admit that the three early Trios [Opus 1/1-3] are fairly quaint, no great shakes here, and it's only really in 5 & 7 that you truly feel that they can be called masterpieces, Beethoven's Archduke Trio is one of the very greatest Chamber music works to ever be written, the first time i ever heard its noble themes [Kempff / Szeryng / Fournier on DG], i was stunned by the sheer universal and 'orchestralness' of the work, Beethoven here saves some of his most sublime melodies not for a great Symphony or Concerto, but for the humble Piano Trio, it's a testament to the genius of Beethoven, that he doesn't need a Choral Symphony with vast forces to speak to mankind, he can do it just as well through three people, this work stunned me again today.

The Trio Fontenay are from Germany, they were active in the years 1980-2006, and they recorded this work in 1992, now i love the front picture [by Klaus Thumser], a low shot of the trio with their instruments, the blue sky really does something, very well lighted, and the lettering is a treat.

All of the four movements were a real treat, especially 1 & 3, and it's this third movement variations which was absolutely spiritual it was so good, Beethoven has this ability to build this movement up and up, to the point you forget about music, and just bask in perfection,
Theme [0:00-1:54] - It starts with the most sublime and gorgeous theme on the piano, a Cantabile that the violin and cello both join in on, there's a feeling that time stands still here.
Variation 1 [1:54-3:21] - The piano plays a slightly more complex accompaniment, while the cello and piano take it in turns to play the melody, the Pianist really develops an intensity here.
Variation 2 [3:21-4:44] - Both the violin and cello start to throw around the theme in a fun staccato way, but there's still an underlying sadness to the variation.
Variation 3 [4:44-6:08] - The piano gets more complex, and louder in places, and both the violin and cello join together as a duo in just keeping a sort of beat, the piano really does stretch its legs with virtuosity.
Variation 4 [6:08-8:15] - The fourth variation has some of the most tender music in it, all the players contribute equally, and Beethoven ekes out the most his chosen melody, the violin really starts to throw the aching sadness card into the mix [6:43-7:15], and it develops this fantastic otherworldliness.
Variation 5 [8:15-11:19] - A funny mix of a variation, the piano gets really serious, and then later i lose my way, the music seems to change key and turn into a serenade [9:28+] it's so beautiful, the violin and cello are heartbreaking [10:08+], i guess there's a sort of coda in there [10:50+], it contains some of the most endearing music Beethoven ever penned.

Here's the Trio Fontenay on YouTube, playing a sampling of the the second movement.

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.

Schubert - Piano Trio 1 [The London Mozart Trio]

This is a recent acquisition, and i played it for the first time today, also i'm completely unfamiliar with The London Mozart Trio, but i really enjoyed delving into this disc today, the coupling is a curious one, and it makes me realise how much i don't know the Dvorak work as well as i should, it's Schubert's Trio 2 that i prefer out of his two, but here i marvelled at the first one, it's such a musically strong work, and played really well too.

The London Mozart Trio are a bit of a mystery, the booklet doesn't have any information on the Trio, or any of its members, they recorded this disc in 1991, the IMP classics label was a really nice one, this one has a black & white shot of the Trio, the shadows and light are terrific, there's a certain glow to the highlights, the IMP logo on the right makes a wonderful dash of colour, and the lettering in the bottom left balances out the picture nicely, visually a great product.

Well it was the big first movement i enjoyed the most, and like lots of Schubert, it's music that keeps going round and round like a carousel, one of the things i notice is the Pianist can be quite loud at times, he likes to thump them keys at times, the recording is lovely, but sometimes it has difficulty capturing the sheer dynamic range of everything, after a general introduction, all three instruments take turns playing one of the main themes [1:58-2:24], cello / violin / piano, and four minutes later it comes back again [5:46-6:13], i almost expect there to be some sort of trio section in the middle to break up the almost 15 minutes of the same themes revolving round and round, but instead Schubert uses the same themes, but slightly in a different key, or maybe it's in a different octave, some stormy passages in there, The London Mozart Trio really sustain it well.

Here's the Beaux Arts Trio playing the Schubert Piano Trio on YouTube.

Faure - Piano Trio [Beaux Arts Trio]

What an unashamedly little gem Faure's Piano Trio is!, i remember well the day i 'discovered' it, on a walk to Church [17th February 2013], there the first movement truly impressed me, Faure has an underrated way with Chamber music, makes me want to check out his String Quartet too.

The Beaux Arts Trio were active for 53 years, they split up in 2008, this disc was recorded in 1988, the front cover of the booklet shows a superb photograph [by Christian Steiner], a portrait of the trio showing all three instruments, the dark background adds to the highlighting of the faces, look at the lovely browns of that cello!.

So like i said, it was the first movement Allegro that really wowed me, the Piano Trio was a late work for Faure, composed in 1923, maybe a couple of years before he died, and that late Autumn of his life has a feel for the same in this work, Faure got more away from 'nice tunes', and more into the ethereal 'feel' of things, which can be witnessed in his solo piano music, that's not to say that there's a lack of tunes to this work, but i find it hard to whistle late Faure, it sticks in the memory, but i think Faure was mastering the use of rhythms and structure more, there's some great architecture in his music, the first movement is Allegro, but then added 'ma non troppo' = but not too [fast], and that's a key notation, it just wouldn't work if A Trio just zoomed through the piece, there needs to be poise too, i love the way the piano has this superb rippling effect throughout the beginning, while the violin / cello play the melody, and when the piano gets to play a tune itself, it's a stunning little number [1:01-1:21], there's some individual notes that are off the usual highway, and it's these singular notes that really make Faure what he is, there's one early on [1:03], now that's truly inspired, love the way the instruments weave and overlap each other, but basically it's a dialogue between piano and strings, as the movement progresses it has a tendency to get more louder and complex, and it end i guess on a sort of forte.

Here's the Beaux Arts Trio playing the first movement on YouTube.

Faure - Piano Trio [Beaux Arts Trio] 

Now this was a lovely surprise, the Piano Quartet 1 i know fairly well, but this is only the second time i've ever listened to Faure's Piano Trio, and really the first time i've seriously taken note, and what a revelation it is, full of those wry musical ideas that it seems only he can compose, it's only a 21 minute work, but the first movement is a beaut, if it made such a great impression on an early listen, think what it will do ten listens down the road, of course it's only the second time i've listened to this disc, at first i had reservations, as i'm a 'completist', and Faure's Piano Quartets obviously deserve to be issued as a set, i dislike bits of works issued over separate discs, but this doesn't bother me as much as it used to, this is a wonderful delve into some of the most sublime music of Faure.

The Beaux Arts Trio 1955-2008 are one of the most original Piano Trios to have graced the concert circuit, as well as record all the main repertoire on Philips, a model for all other subsequent Trios to emulate, they made this recording in 1988, the front cover picture [by Christian Steiner] is a superb shot of the trio, showing all three instruments, the reddish browns of the strings make a wonderful colour, and the trio are nicely posed, a great visual idea.

It was the first movement that really caught my ear, it transported me away to those wistful moments of i don't know what, but Faure can so much transport you to another world / time, he has such an individual soundworld, the piece starts off as a dialogue between cello and piano, before the violin joins in, it's the piano that seems to fuel the melody and ideas, and there's just the most exquisite tune that the piano plays [1:00-1:21], using the most delicious accidental [1:03], how tunes can hang on one note, and transform the whole piece, sounding like some of his solo piano music, 

Here's the Trio Enescu playing the first movement on YouTube.

Schubert - Piano Trio 1 [Zukerman/Harrell/ Ashkenazy] 

Schubert's Piano Trio's are fairly neglected in my Blog, i really haven't played these for a while, but when i do, the feelings come flooding back, the Trout and Death and the Maiden easily take centre stage in his Chamber Music output, and rightly so, and so these works can take a bit of a back seat, but Schubert's Trio's are bright and fun, both composed in major keys, there's a certain rhythm and dance to these pieces, and of course with Schubert, some superb tunes. 

Vladimir Ashkenazy is Russian, he's now 75 years old, and he recorded this work in 1996, the front booklet photos [by Vivianne Purdom], are three small black & white pictures, in the background are autumn red leaves, a nice little concept.

The second movement is so beautiful, it's like a Chopin Nocturne in a way, you can feel the night descending at times, especially in the main theme tune, after a short intro by the piano, this gorgeous tune is played with passion by Cellist Lynn Harrell [0:07-0:49], and then the scene is complete when the violin comes in [0:48+], and a short time later the piano gets in on the act by hammering out the theme itself, lots of passion, certainly from Zukerman, who uses lots of rubato, i like the treble chimes from Ashkenazy, the mood changes abruptly [5:17+],.

Here's Ashkenazy / Zukerman / Harrell playing the second movement on YouTube.

Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio [The Moscow Rachmaninov Trio] 

This is the third time this disc appears in my Blog [28th January 2010] & [10th September 2011], and what a lovely disc it is too, each of the members of this Trio are no superstars, and outside this Trio i've never heard of them before, but their interpretation of the Tchaikovsky Trio is excellent, and it's good to hear this wonderful work yet again.

The Moscow Rachmaninov Trio are from Russia, they began in 1994, and of course have mainly been active in Russia, but they've recorded 3 discs on the Hyperion label, this one was recorded in 2000, the front cover is fantastic, it's a painting by Nikolai Sergeyev entitled 'The Secret Garden', a lovely piece of art couched in dark greens, depicting a lake in a forest, the half lights produce a sense of mystery, and the highlights in the water are gorgeous, Hyperion have chosen a truly excellent painting for this disc.

Usually the highlight of the whole work is the individual variations, but on this listen i just so loved the Variazione, Finale e Coda, it's played with such passion, and it's such a great culmination to everything that's gone before, it's those heavy chords that the Piano plays that get me every time,  

Here's the Variazione, Finale e Coda being played on YouTube.

Beethoven - Piano Trio 7 'Archduke' [Kempff/ Szeryng/Fournier]

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.

Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio [The Moscow Rachmaninov Trio]

Here's one of the beautiful things about my Blog, just lately i've had a rash of discs that originally were reviewed early on in my Blog, this disc is no exception [28th January 2010], of course no disc is bought merely to play once and enjoyed, and then forgotten about, but the whole point of me collecting discs is to find treasurable discs that are worth playing 'again and again', and therefore such discs will appear in my Blog 'again and again', and eventually such discs that only appear once should become rare as time goes by. 

The Moscow Rachmaninov Trio are from Russia, they record on the Hyperion label, but sadly are fairly unknown in the west, they recorded this disc in 2000, the front cover is phenomenal, Hyperion are wont to using paintings and artwork on their covers, a lot are really quite poor, but this one is a treasure, the painting is 'The Secret Garden' by Nikolai Sergeyev, a wonderfully atmospheric painting, showing a secret lake, the half lights are wonderful, the dark green haze that covers everything is magical, a well chosen painting. 

Well i just have to admit on this listening it's again those incredibly 'varied variations' that show Tchaikovsky at his genius, more than ever it shows what a profound depth of ideas he had, the outer movements are glorious [if you consider the Variation Finale and Coda a movement] in themselves, but the heart of the work lays at the twists and turns, and sheer colour and profundity of those variations, each one is a gem in itself, and when listened to independently from those either side, it's a piece of music that can stand up on its own, but when presented in tandem with its neighbours, the joy is then heightened, it's this ability to clap your eyes on a tree in the forest, and delight in its individuality, but also at the same time to be able to stand back, and appreciate how each tree is only a part, and creates the whole wonderful forest.