Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Trio sur des mélodies populaires irlandaises (1925)
Tigran Mansurian (b. 1939)
Five Bagatelles for violin, cello, and piano (1985)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Piano Trio No 4 in E minor, Op 90, B. 166 “Dumky” (1891)
Delta Piano Trio
rec. 2021, MCO-1, Muziekcentrum van de Omroep, Hilversum, The Netherlands
CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72901 [59]
This is my second exposure to the Delta Piano Trio. I was greatly impressed with an earlier disc of trios by Shostakovich and Lera Auerbach (review). The trio are no less impressive here. They chose the title of their folk music-influenced programme, according to the author of the informative notes, Simone Leuven, thus: “Quite often, a work becomes a journey of discovery towards a certain origin, translated into sound; a quotation from a folk song can embody the spirit of a country; a meditative harmony can unveil the key questions of existence and the rhythms of a folk dance can unearth the roots of a culture.” This varied programme embraces pieces both very familiar (Dvořák), occasionally encountered (Martin), and more obscure (Mansurian).
Frank Martin’s Trio on Irish Folk Tunes is from the composer’s early period, before his style and sound of his own voice became readily identifiable. Nonetheless, this short work in three movements, Allegro moderato, Adagio, and Gigue, is delightful and well crafted. An Irish-American benefactor requested a piece from him based on Irish folk songs, the songs which he copied from two collections he found at the Bibliothčque Nationale in Paris. He was determined to leave the folk melodies intact, but added his own sonorities and rhythms to create an original work. The first movement opens with a modal melody accompanied by a piano drone; the second is lament and the third, as the title suggests, is an Irish jig with its dancing motifs and changing metres. The trio does not sound particularly Irish to me until the jig finale, nor does it have the trademark sound of the mature composer. The Delta Piano Trio give it their all and they compare well with several other recordings I sampled. I was surprised to learn that it has received quite a number of recorded accounts, as I was not familiar with it.
The Bagatelles of the Armenian Tigran Mansurian were also unknown to me and I found only a couple recordings of them listed on the web. The word “bagatelle’ conjures up something rather insignificant, even trivial, but these five are anything but that. Although the longest of them is under four minutes, they contain much greater substance than the timings would indicate. While the composer was born in Lebanon, the family moved to Armenia when he was quite young. Mansurian’s family had suffered in the Armenian genocide and his music is suffused with melancholy. The first bagatelle is almost minimalist and is marked Largo. It has a sadness in its quiet mood that reminds me of Shostakovich in his chamber music. The following Moderato contrasts in tempo, but not in feeling. It is rather desolate and private, almost tragic, though it has a more tuneful middle section. The next two bagatelles are designated Allegro I and Allegro II. The first of these is dissonant and agitated and becomes powerful and dramatic with piano jolts and deep cello sounds. Again Shostakovich comes to mind. Allegro II is very fast and furious with virtuosic parts for both piano and strings. Even when violent, the music captivates and has a contrasting section that is eerie and bleak with high piano and violin parts. The final Moderato brings some warmth in a slow tempo and then has a fast, running passage with a demanding piano part. Returning to the slow section, the work ends somewhat inconclusively. Mansurian’s Five Bagatelles require and reward repeated listening, especially in these superb performances.
Dvořák’s “Dumky” Trio needs no introduction, being one of the most popular piano trios of all time. There are a plethora of fine recordings from which to choose a favourite performance. One thinks of such classic Czech accounts as that of the Suk Trio (DG Eloquence), but there have also been more recent ones which can hold their own among the competition. My preferred version has been that of the Tempest Trio on Naxos. As far as I know, they have issued only two recordings which in their entirety encompass Dvořák’s four piano trios. As has sometimes been the case, the third and fourth trios are paired on one disc. I compared their
“Dumky” with Ax, Kim, Ma (Sony) and the differences were telling. The Tempest burst forth with all the passion that one could envision, next to which the former sound rather generic, at times even tepid. The Delta Piano Trio, however, are nearly as exciting as the Tempest. Their tempos are consistently a bit faster, but that in itself is not a game-changer [total timing 29:25 vs. 31:43]. What really appeals to me in this new account is the warmth and humanity of their playing with especially beautiful violin and cello sonority, producing a myriad of colours. They also display more dynamic variety than the others. On the whole, the balance among the instruments is excellent except for the rare passage where the piano tends to dominate when it is in an accompanying role. The Tempest are recorded more closely than the others and an occasional stridency in the strings merely adds to the rusticity of their performance. I find it difficult to choose one over the other. The couplings may be the determining factor in one’s choice for this mainstay of the piano trio repertoire.
Overall, I find it hard to resist these performances in such an attractive programme that is unique in the catalogue. I hope there are future discs to be had from this source.
Leslie Wright
