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Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Trio No. 5 in D major, Op. 70, No. 1 Ghost Trio (1808)
[27:57]
Piano Trio No. 6 in E flat major, Op. 70, No. 2 (1808) [29:58]
Piano Trio in B Flat Major, WoO 39 Allegretto (1812) [5:58]
Risto Lauriala (piano), Tero Latvala (violin), Marko Ylönen
(cello)
rec. 25-28 November 2010, Akustiikka, Ylivieska
ALBA ABCD340 [64:19]
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Beautifully recorded in 5.0 SACD multichannel sound, this is
the first volume of an enticing prospect from the Alba label.
There is no shortage of recordings of this repertoire in the
current market however, and if we are looking at more recent
recordings the two Op. 70 Trios are paired on a Naxos CD (see
review as ‘Bargain of the Month’), also Volume
1 of a complete set. The Xyrion Trio makes a high-impact opening
to their Op. 70 No. 1, but the trio on this new Alba
disc has the measure of them for drama and transparent expressiveness.
There is plenty of punchy drive from the bass notes from the
piano in the opening Allegro vivace e con brio, and all
of the breathless suspense you could want from the strings.The
‘Ghost’ tremuli of the second movement are a little
more subtle in the piano with the Xyrion Trio, but with the
piano slightly lower in the recorded balance this is an easier
effect to carry off. The strings integrate better with the general
sound with the Alba recording, and the difficult passages with
melodic features over the moody piano are the better, and the
more ‘ghostly’ for it.
As ever I’m torn between versions, but ultimately I prefer
the trio on this Alba recording for their greater subtlety and
marginally more refined musicality. This might have something
to do with the nicely proportioned recording balance and pleasant
acoustic within which the musicians find themselves, but in
any case these qualities carry through to the second Trio
Op. 70. Elegance of phrasing and accuracy of dynamics amidst
all of Beethoven’s intensity and dramatic plunges are
carried off with full expressive value - not with quite the
romantic extroversion of the trio with beloved combination of
Barenboim, Du Pré and Zuckerman on EMI, but perhaps that’s
not quite what we’re looking for these days. The Haydn
Trio Vienna on Teldec/Warner Apex is also a big favourite, but
in this case it is the piano which is a bit too overwhelming
in terms of recorded balance. There are too many competitors
to name, including the venerable Beaux Arts Trio on Philips
and the excellent Florestan Trio on Hyperion, but the three
musicians here can hold their own even in the most august company.
What I like about these performances is their sense of grand
scale without exaggeration of gesture, the feeling of air and
unhurried space around the notes without any sense of dragging
or lack of intensity or momentum. The lyrical moments of the
first movement of Op. 70 No. 2 can have tenderness and
even fragility, but Beethoven’s highly charged sense of
edgy passion is never far away, and you sense this dramatic
danger in Lauriala/Latvala/Ylönen’s performance.
There is a beautifully sensitive touch in the Allegretto,
and the confiding intimacy in aspects of this movement are also
strong in the conversational Allegretto ma non troppo
which follows. There is no lack of bustling excitement in the
Finale, and still with that sense of unhurried grandeur
which is so impressively effective.
The final track is the Piano Trio in B flat Major which
Beethoven wrote for Maximiliane Brentano in 1812. She was the
9 year old daughter of Antonie Brentano, to whom he later dedicated
the Diabelli Variations. This is a charming movement,
full of lyricism and open of texture, and the performance here
is admirably proportionate to the demands of the music - not
scaled-down in terms of expression, but given an entirely appropriate
gentleness of character.
This is a very fine first volume of a set which will be highly
collectable and competitive. The stereo mix is superb, but the
SACD advantage this release has as a recording is not to be
sniffed at, with the enhanced spatial sense a real bonus in
a performance for which timing and elegance of proportion is
of the essence. All this trio needs to do is give itself a collective
name and we’ll be well on the way.
Dominy Clements
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