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Joaquín TURINA (1882-1949)
Piano Trio in F (1904) [25:21]
Piano Trio No.1 in D major, Op.35 (1926) [21:51]
Piano Trio No.2 in B minor, Op.76 (1933) [15:13]
Círculo, Op.91 (1936) [11:14]
Piano Quartet in A minor, Op.67 (1931) [16:57]
Quintet in G minor, Op.1 (1907) [29:56]
Sextet – Escene Andaluza (1912) [13:02]
Lincoln Trio: Desiree Ruhstrat (violin); David Cunliffe (cello); Marta Aznavoorian (piano)
Ayane Kozasa (viola): Jasmine Lin (violin): Aurelian Fort Pederzoli (violin); Doyle Armbrust (viola)
rec. January-February 2014, Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia, Illinois
CEDILLE CDR 90000 150 [73:55 + 60:05]

In the course of a previous review of a Turina trio I remarked that the performance was not nearly as expressively committed as one by the Lincoln Trio – whose twofer of the chamber music for strings and piano now becomes the subject of this review. This is indeed a thoroughly committed ensemble whose forceful and romantically buoyant accounts are buttressed by a sure technical foundation.

The Piano Trio in F major is an early work lacking an opus number. How splendidly its religioso elements are brought out in that fragrantly lyric slow movement and how well the group brings out the self-confident braggadocio of the finale – well, Turina was only 22, after all. Franco-Spanish stylistically, Turina admirers should gravitate to this as-yet embryonic work. The Trio in D major, Op.35 is his fugal trio and its central variations sport a mixture of Iberian vitality and peppy Parisian syncopation. Yes, Heifetz and confreres, in their famous LP, dashed through this dazzlingly – but the Lincoln find a slightly more temperate and affectionate way. Athleticism and rich timbral expression marks out this survey. They are lighter, lither and more vital than the Damocles Trio (Claves) in the B minor and play one of Turina’s best-known chamber pieces, Círculo, with lyrical sweep and fervent appreciation of the music’s coloristic potential.

The Piano Quartet, Quintet in G minor – his Op.1 – and Sextet follow on the second disc. Violist Ayane Kozasa is enlisted for the Piano Quartet and once again warmth and vitality are both present. Good though the Damocles players are – their violist is the excellent Lawrence Dutton – there is a more powerful sweep and allure in the Lincoln’s playing. Turina’s Quintet in G minor is quite an opus opening account and dates from 1907. Liltingly lyric, jauntily boulevardier and with a complement of fugal fun, this is a piece – and a recording – that fully conveys verve and exuberance. Second violin Jasmine Lin adds to the richness of the sonority. The compact two-movement Sextet, subtitled Escena Andaluza, reveals a more deeply nationalist, Albéniz-derived Iberian ethos, especially in the À la fenêtre second movement.

There are good notes and the recording has been well judged, allowing the trio to play out with excellent tone and ensemble. I think in future I shall be measuring performances of Turina’s trios and associated string chamber music against the excellent standard set by this first-class group.

Jonathan Woolf

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