RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8 Poème (1923) [11:31]
Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok, Op. 127 (1967) [25:16]
Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67 (1944) [25:04]
Susan Gritton (soprano) (Romances)
The Florestan Trio (Susan Tomes (piano), Anthony Marwood (violin), Richard
Lester (cello))
rec. Henry Wood Hall, London, 11-13 January (Romances, Trio No. 2) and 30
October 2010 (Trio No. 1). DDD
Transliterated texts and translations for the Romances included
HYPERION CDA67834 [61:53]
I recently read that the Florestan Trio has decided to end its illustrious
career, with each member embarking on his/her own new adventure. If so, it
will be sad to see them go as this CD demonstrates their forte in material
not usually associated with them. Although their recording of French trios,
including the Ravel, has been widely hailed, they are probably best known
for their work in the Classical and Romantic periods. They also come up with
a good deal of competition in the particular combination of selections on
this disc. I can say straightaway that they have nothing to fear, even from
the Russian artists for whom these works are second nature.
Shostakovich’s First Piano Trio was one of his earliest works,
a student composition. Its short duration and early opus number belie its
stature. It is a very well constructed work in one movement in sonata-form
with memorable themes. It may sound a bit like Rachmaninov in its lyricism,
but also has the genuine Shostakovich stamp where the music becomes more agitated.
The trio in its present form is a reconstruction assembled from autograph
sources, with the last twenty-two bars of the piano part provided by Boris
Tishchenko, one of Shostakovich’s pupils who also orchestrated several
of the master’s song-cycles. The Florestan Trio brings out both the
drama and the lyricism of the work in a marvelous performance.
Shostakovich’s Second Piano Trio, on the other hand, is one of
the greatest masterpieces of his maturity and has received countless performances
and recordings by Russians and non-Russians alike. I compared the Florestan
with the Borodin Trio on Chandos, my benchmark for this work. The differences
between them are similar to those of the string quartets as performed by the
Borodin Quartet and the Emerson Quartet. Where the Borodins in both cases
wring out every drop of passion and even despair where it can be found, the
Emersons and Florestan are more content to play the works for their purely
musical value. That is not to say that they lack drama or that the Borodins
play loose with the scores. It’s just a matter of a difference in approach.
I would not want to be without the real Russian flavor that the Borodin Trio
provides and if I had to choose only one recording I might want to stick with
theirs. However, the Florestan Trio’s account is so exciting and so
well played, that it too must find a place at or near the top of anyone’s
preferred versions. One thing that is particularly noticeable concerns their
tempos. In every movement they are faster than the Borodin Trio. So while
the Borodin takes 29:33 for their performance, the Florestan clocks in at
25:04, quite a difference. One could justly claim that their second movement
is more allegro than allegro non troppo as marked, and their
finale is fast for an allegretto. Yet it works for me, even if third
movement largo lacks something of the power of the Borodin. The Florestan
Trio conveys all the necessary bleakness of the work and that is what counts
most. From the very beginning with the highest cello playing against the lower
violin and the piano to the Jewish dance of death in the finale that Shostakovich
later quoted in his Eighth Quartet, the Florestan does not disappoint in any
way in this superb performance.
In between the trios comes one of the composer’s late works, which he
composed upon cellist Rostropovich’s request for his wife, Galina Vishnevskaya,
to perform some vocalises. The resulting song-cycle of Romances on Poems
of Alexander Blok is one of Shostakovich’s most profound works
and one that epitomizes the loneliness and premonition of death pervading
much of the composer’s late compositions. Though the cycle is scored
for soprano and piano trio, that combination comes into play only in the last
song, entitled “Music”. The first romance, “Ophelia’s
Song”, is for voice and cello, followed by “Gamayun, the Prophet
Bird” for voice and piano; the next, “We Were Together, for voice
and violin; then, “The City Sleeps” for voice, cello, and piano;
“The Storm” for voice, violin, and piano; and “Mysterious
Signs” for voice, violin, and cello. While the prevailing mood is one
of solitude and intimacy, the work also builds up a real head of steam in
two of the songs, “Gamayun” and the fifth song, “the Storm.”
For me, this cycle is the highlight of the CD. Susan Gritton does magnificent
work in depicting the various moods of the songs, from the quietness of the
beginning and warmth of the third romance, “We Were Together,”
to the elemental power of the “Storm”. The songs were written
with Vishnevskaya’s voice in mind and her recording with Rostropovich
et al is undoubtedly authoritative. However, I must say I prefer Gritton,
whose voice is lighter and straighter than Vishnevskaya’s. Vishnevskaya
becomes a bit too histrionic for my taste in the more dramatic sections of
the cycle, while Gritton certainly is not lacking in power. As far as Gritton’s
Russian pronunciation is concerned, there are no worries there either. It
is excellent, with only some of the consonants swallowed by the acoustic.
These songs have received a number of highly regarded performances besides
Vishnevskaya’s - Joan Rodgers with the Beaux Arts Trio (Warner) and
also with the Bekova Sisters (Chandos), and Elisabeth Söderström
with Vladimir Ashkenazy and colleagues (Decca) come to mind. I have not heard
them, or at least not recently enough to remember, but I cannot imagine anyone
better than Gritton here.
In conclusion, this CD is worth every penny for the Seven Romances
alone, but the trios can also compete with the best of past recordings. Hyperion’s
production is up to its usual high standard, with excellent booklet notes
by Robert Philip and a cover illustration of Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting
of the prophet bird, Gamayun.
Leslie Wright
A superb disc of Shostakovich’s piano trios and Blok songs by the Florestan
Trio and guest.