Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Piano Trio in D major, Op. 1 (1910)
Francisco Coll (b. 1985)
Piano Trio (2020)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87 (1880-1882)Trio Isimsiz
rec. 2022, Britten Studio, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, UK
Rubicon RCD1107 [79]
This is my first exposure to Trio Isimsiz, comprising Pablo Hernán Benedí (violin), Edvard Pogossian (cello) and Erdem Misirlioglu (piano). They had previously issued two disc with piano trios: by Fauré, Schubert and Brahms (review ~ review), and by Brahms, Takemitsu and Beethoven.
Erich Korngold was a precocious composer. His Piano Trio is in four movements. The first movement, rather Brahmsian, reminds me also of Richard Strauss in the harmony and key modulations. Attractive and tuneful, it shows off the budding composer well, and is individual enough to stand on its own. The mercurial Scherzo is quite catchy thematically, again with interesting harmony and modulations. It is light-hearted but not particularly fast. The trio section, a nice contrast, becomes rather pensive and meditative. The Larghetto third movement begins with a melancholy cello solo before passing it to the violin accompanied by the piano. This movement is the shortest, and somewhat more chromatic than the others. The finale marked Allegro molto e energico starts vivaciously in a good mood but soon settles down and becomes songful. The music get animated again, leading to an echt Viennese waltz that refers back to the opening movement and concludes forcefully with a flourish. This was my introduction to the piece that clearly demonstrates Korngold’s formal and thematic skills. Trio Isimsiz give it their all in a beautifully warm, clear recording.
What drew my attention to this disc was the premiere of Francisco Coll’s work which Trio Isimsiz commissioned. The publisher Faber Music contributed an all-too-brief note on the piece in the booklet (alongside Philip Borg-Wheeler’s more substantial comments on Brahms’s and Korngold’s works). To get a better idea, seek out two YouTube videos where Coll discusses the work with the Trio Isimsiz musicians; not much more detail there either. The Piano Trio is a thorny work that does not reveal its secrets, unlike Coll’s Violin Concerto and Four Iberian Miniatures (review) but it did hold my attention.
The Piano Trio is in four unmarked movements, and lasts nearly nineteen minutes. The first movement is jagged and spiky with much string pizzicato. In the slow movement, the violin has a plaintive melody which the cello picks up after a couple minutes. The music builds up to palpable passion before becoming quiet and pensive. The third movement has considerable variety, from vehemence to stillness, and reminds me a bit of Hans Abrahamsen’s style. It concludes with a weird sort of dance. The finale is fast and furious with piano and violin runs, somewhat like Ligeti’s, before becoming spasmodic and later tonal. The work concludes abruptly and quietly. This seems like a major composition of Coll’s, but will take some time to fully digest. The performance appears authoritative.
There is no shortage of recordings of Brahms’s piano trios, but this account of the Second Trio can hold its own against the competition, and gives a good deal of pleasure. My comparison is with one of my favourites, by the Capuçon brothers and pianist Nicholas Angelich on Erato. Overall, there is little to choose between these performances. In the Allegro first movement, Trio Isimsiz are a bit more propulsive and dramatic in the opening theme, but are very touching when the second subject appears. They do not slow down there as much as Capuçons/Angelich. In both accounts the slow movement is deeply felt, while the piano has a mite more presence in the performance here. I prefer the Capuçons/Angelich in the Scherzo, where the piano part is more clearly articulated. The instruments are well balanced in both ensembles. The trios each observe the Allegro giocoso marking in the finale, keeping everything smooth and light. Both trios accelerate appropriately at the conclusion, but Trio Isimsiz are more decisive on the final chords.
No one who follows Trio Isimsiz should hesitate to add this volume to their collection. While there are many options for the Brahms, this disc enlightens in its unusual programme, including the premiere of a substantial new piano trio.
Leslie Wright
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