As is their practice Brilliant Classics cull multiple ‘son of
…’ volumes from their larger boxes as well as ringing the
changes in many other ways. This triple derives from the 10-CD set (9101)
of the Oistrakh Trio, which also included Beethoven’s Triple Concerto
and two other trios as well as piano trios by Brahms, Chopin, Dvořák,
Haydn, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Schubert, Smetana and Schumann.
The playing is typically elite, of invincible musicality, dynamic, imaginative
and the very antithesis of autopilot. The sound is clean, cosies close-up
to the ear, slightly claustrophobic but very pleasing, untiring and
natural. It appears to be mono but is comparable with the sort of high
quality signal one heard from BBC’s Radio 3 FM in the 1960s. Highlights
abound, including the long-limbed balletic cantabile of the
Moderato
of Tchaikovsky’s A minor trio (in memory of Nikolai Rubinstein)
and the sustained, gloomy, cloud-hung soulfulness and belligerence of
the Rachmaninov. Strange to tell, the Tchaikovsky sounded so much better
than it did when it formed part of Brilliant’s magnificent Tchaikovsky
Edition (
review)
yet it seems to be the same tape. The Rachmaninov was written in memory
of Tchaikovsky.
Sad that we have to make do with only one lyrical and heart-searching
movement from Vissarion Shebalin’s romantic Trio in A. It was
written as late as 1947. Other notables include the Beethoven-meets-Bellini
classicism of the Glinka Trio and the Rimsky Trio. The latter was completed,
as were several of Rimsky’s works, by his son-in-law, the composer
Maximilian Steinberg for whom a cycle of his symphonies was started
by Neeme Järvi for DG but sadly never completed (
review).
The writing is fluent and classical - nothing of the Russian nationalist
about this; is that Rimsky or Steinberg, I wonder? The Taneyev Piano
Trio is a big, symphonic-scale work, smoothly written, again in a Germanic
classical style.
The notes are in English only by Ates Orga. I can see those who get
this wanting to track down the 10-CD set. However, in this 3CD form,
it will alternately delight and satisfy those who would rather have
only the Russian piano trio works.
Rob Barnett
