This is full-blooded Schubert, richly recorded in a fairly up-front
balance – for the strings in particular, and performed with
passion and commitment. Right from the outset, the musicians
of the Wiener Schubert Trio grab your attention in the dramatic
opening of the Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat D.898, and
the only real question is whether they will be able to hold
it.
I brought out a pair of comparisons, and was surprised to find
the balance of the 1984 Beaux Arts Trio set on Philips 412 620-2,
which covers identical repertoire, to be rather more in favour
of the piano than I had remembered. This is still very fine
music making, but in a drier acoustic and more distant strings
makes the Wiener Schubert Trio sound positively symphonic in
comparison. The latter are perhaps less transparent and gentle
in the quieter sections, but still have plenty of contrast and
melodic sensitivity. I had imagined the Beaux Arts Trio would
still be an emphatic favourite in those outer movements, but
in fact the picture is less clear cut. Where they do have the
upper hand is in the sheer poetry of a movement such as the
Andante un poco mosso of D.898, capable of moving
a heart-filled with love to overflowing, where the Wiener players
are swifter and more inclined towards an elegant dance tempo
rather than overwhelmingly poignant reflection. Another recording
I’ve held onto for years is the 4 CD set on BIS 521-524 with
the Complete Chamber Music for Piano and Strings with the Arion
Trio and guests. This is a very fine set and, set in a gorgeous
church acoustic, perhaps the best recorded of the three, but
returning to the favourite Andante and they are caught
out being a little too indulgent with a tempo which seems reluctant
to move forward at all. The Arion Trio certainly has more wit
than the Wiener Schubert Trio in the Scherzo, which is
good, but less playful in the present version. They do however
have a fine lightness of touch in the final Rondo.
They are once again powerful in the first movement of the wonderful
Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat D.929, through there is a
tendency for the recording to be a bit boomy, resulting in one
or two acoustic side-effects around 45 second in for example,
where the left channel is momentarily sucked out of existence
in those loud chords. The refinement of the Beaux Arts Trio
is more acceptable here, with plenty of drama and a good deal
more transparency in approximately the same tempo. One of the
all-time best Schubert movements is the Andante con moto
of this trio, and the Wien Schubert Trio is again relatively
swift, and to my mind a bit too fast to make those wonderful
ornament notes really tell – here played just before the beat
and having more a double-dotted rhythm effect from the previous
bar, rather than being played on the beat as most others do
them. Schubert’s score is admittedly open to this kind of interpretation,
but played on the beat as an appoggiatura the beauty and logic
of the melodic ornamentations and lines snap into place, whereas
the alternative results in rather four-square emphases. Besides,
pianist Claus-Christian Schuster is inconsistent in this, as
even a cursory look at the piano solos show, and this also has
its effect on the reprise of the theme in the final Allegro
moderato so goes further than just the one – alas critical
– moment.
This being something of the highlight of these trios
for me, this rather discounts the Wien Schubert Trio as a really
serious choice. This is shame, as their explosively dramatic
playing further on in the movement is certainly more than a
match for the rather stiff Arion Trio, and out-storms the Beaux
Arts players as well. I certainly enjoy their little shifts
in tempo for the Scherzando, and the final Allegro
moderato has great charm, though having more of a salon
superficiality than the tightly observed intensity of the Beaux
Arts Trio.
There is of course much competition from all over the place
in these pieces, including the earlier and also very fine Beaux
Arts Trio recording on a Philips Originals re-release, 475 7571,
and the energetic Jean- Philippe Collard and colleagues on EMI.
While they might not have become my absolute favourites I wouldn’t
discount the Wien Schubert Trio out of hand, and if you are
looking for masculine performances in a full-sounding recording
which pulls no punches and brings out the tougher edges of Schubert’s
passionate writing then this may indeed be the very thing for
you. The playing here is technically very fine, musically sensitive
and often very exciting. Such a high-impact recording can be
a little fatiguing at close range and I suspect some of the
acoustic aura may be the result of a little bit of unobtrusive
but extra electronic tweaking. One thing is for sure however,
you won’t be falling asleep while it’s on!
Dominy Clements
Claus-Christian Schuster (piano); Boris Kuschir (violin); Martin
Hornstein (cello) 
