Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Trio in C minor, Op.1 No.3 (1793) [29:58]
Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56 (1803-04) [34:30]
Lev Oborin (piano); David Oistrakh (violin); Sviatoslav Knushevitsky (cello).
Philharmonia Orchestra/Malcolm Sargent
rec. 1959 mono, ADD
MELODIYA MEL CD 10 01937 [64:32]
These are justly famous performances but the sound of the "Triple Concerto"
is appreciably worse than the 1990 stereo re-mastering on my old bargain EMI
Laser issue; it is in thin mono which manages to sound both muddy and clangourous
- and as such not worth the investment in this Melodiya re-issue. Nor is the
Trio really "First time on CD" as the cover claims; it has long
been available on the Brilliant label's super-bargain 10 CD set of the Oistrakh
Trio Edition.
Of course the performances themselves are peerless; refined but alert with
just the sense of delight in music-making these pieces demand. However, I
can see no point in recommending this version when the recorded sound is so
unnecessarily disappointing. I wonder why Melodiya went to the trouble of
issuing these performances in such an attractive format with artwork by Klee
and a retro-design CD made to look like an LP when they are so poorly engineered.
Ralph Moore
I wonder why Melodiya went to the trouble of issuing these performances.