Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in G minor, Op. 3 (1881)
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931)
Poème élégiaque for Violin and Piano, Op.12 (publ. 1893)
Meditation- Poème for Cello and Piano, Op 16 (ca. 1910)
Bruno Monteiro (violin)
Miguel Rocha (cello)
João Paulo Santos (piano)
rec. 2021, Igreja de Cartuna, Caxias, Portugal
ET’CETERA RECORDS KTC1729 [60]
Ernest Chausson's Trio in G minor Op. 3 can be heard as an act of defiance by a composer who had just been rejected by the Prix de Rome. Composed in the summer of 1881, it was premiered on the 8th of April 1882 at the Société Nationale de Musique of Paris, but after a lukewarm reception it lay unpublished until 1919, something that might seem remarkable to us now given the quality of the music.
That sense of creative defiance is most apparent in the romantic sweep of the substantial first movement. The influence of Franck is apparent throughout the piece, and while this grand opening is more or less based on classical sonata form its themes have those cyclic tendencies associated with Franck. This is followed by a Vivace that serves as a scherzo movement, leading up to a gorgeous Assez lent. The balance of proportion is held in the final Animé, which answers the opening with a comparable sonata form structure and even greater thematic compactness and intensity, with daring harmonies and the building of considerable climaxes despite the quite jaunty 'journey home’ through-line in its momentum.
Eugène Ysaÿe was better known as a violinist as he was composer in his lifetime, having studied with Wieniawski in Brussels, and later in Paris with Vieuxtemps. The Poème élégiaque was dedicated to Fauré and has a breathless song-like drama that impressed Chausson enough to write his own famous Poème. The Meditation- Poème for cello and piano was written for the cellist Fernand Pollain, and is a piece to confound the air-conductors of us trying to follow the beat at home. Its uneven meter creates an effect of restlessness, the continuous lyrical effect carrying its own dramatic arc.
This is a nice recording but not without its mild caveats. The church acoustic is fairly cavernous but not entirely out of control. With the Trio it sounds a bit as if each instrument has its own little island, though the ensemble sound blends well enough. There are a couple of slightly ragged moments at extremes, and Bruno Monteira doesn't sound entirely comfortable a couple of minutes into the Poème élégiaque, but these are minor points. There aren't that many recordings of the Chausson Trio Op. 3 around but there are some alternatives. The Vienna Piano Trio on MDG is worth considering (review), though I certainly prefer the present recording to the Meadowbank Trio on Naxos (review) which is nice enough but quite soft-edged by comparison.
If you fancy a heart-on-sleeve, perhaps even slightly blowsy performance of an ‘unsung’ piano trio then this is one to put on and just turn up the volume.
Dominy Clements
Previous review: Jonathan Woolf (August 2022)
Published: November 10, 2022
