Trio de la cour de Belgique
rec. 1928-1931
Biddulph 85058-2 [2 CDs: 152]

By the time it made its first recordings in 1928, the Trio de la cour de Belgique (‘Belgian Court Trio’), which had been founded in 1922-23, was made up of Alfred Dubois (violin), Maurice Dambois (cello) and Emile Bosquet (piano), all of whom had moved in the orbit of Eugène Ysaÿe. Dubois was a direct student and, in his turn, taught Arthur Grumiaux, whilst cellist Maurice Dambois – who was the only constant presence in the trio – had played in Ysaÿe’s string trio and string quartet. The de Greef student Emile Bosquet had accompanied Ysaÿe in sonata performances as far back as 1897. So this was a quintessential Franco-Belgian trio but it didn’t endure beyond Dubois’ untimely death in 1949 and its recording career was compressed into a period of four years.

Schumann’s Piano Trio No.3 in G minor and Fernand Quinet’s chic, even snazzy Charade were the first things to be recorded just before Christmas 1928 and one feature of the Trio’s cannily selected 78s was that they were all, I believe, première recordings. The Schumann slow movement is touchingly phrased and its B section strikingly contrasted. The ensemble had a fine but pliant approach to rhythm  and their sense of musical grammar was excellent with a sure control of tonal weight. Franck’s very early Piano Trio No.1 followed in January 1929. This isn’t just a major achievement for the young composer but it receives a formidably eloquent reading in which Dubois can be heard floating his tone with expressive beauty – though never for its own sake –  and if Dambois is sometimes unhelpfully backward in the balance, it’s not ruinous for the ensemble.

Another première recording was Saint-Saëns’ Piano Trio No.1, recorded in September 1929. This witty and well-proportioned work is played with a real sense of style. Especially in the sombre paragraphs of the Andante there is some rarefied phrasing from the string players whilst Bosquet anchors things with eloquence. The balance between Dubois and Dambois is better here. The trio also set down, perhaps surprisingly, the first complete recording on disc of Mozart’s Trio in E, K.542 notable for the way the three men generate a sprightly and terpsichorean finale. The final trio, recorded a day after the Mozart is another discographic first, Turina’s Trio No.1, Op.35, a work that offers a quotient of interest, from its evocative opening – which contains a ‘Fugue à l’inverse’– and includes a slightly impressionistic variational central movement, with Iberian dance rhythms. The group also recorded two little pieces by Rameau – rather fluffy but welcome nonetheless. And this was the extent of their recorded repertoire – rare pieces on disc performed with style and authority.

There is also a sequence of recordings by Dubois and the pianist-composer Fernand Goeyens recorded between 1928 and 1931 which completes Biddulph’s commitment to the great violinist’s discography, which you can find complete on the various discs already issued and devoted to him. His Debussy is truly idiomatic without being aromatic and there’s a rightness to every measure and turn of phrase. True his Girl with the Flaxen Hair doesn’t have Thibaud’s moment of heart-stopping tristesse but Dubois was a different kind of fiddler. His selection of four d’Ambrosio sweetmeats might surprise those who only know his focus on rather more serious music. He relaxes beautifully though and with tonal discretion and puts them across effectively and his portamenti, tight trills and sense of subtle,  refined warmth  are delightful. It’s especially good to hear him play his teacher’s Rêve d’enfant with such attention to detailing, to precise employment of slides and to the atmosphere of the music. Goeyens’ piano tone gets a bit ghostly in his own Paysage triste – I’m not sure whether it’s the recording or the copy used – but it’s a lovely character piece as is his Humoresque.

Recordings of the Trio are not impossible to source as they were issued by Columbia but they can be tricky to find, so it’s good news that the remastering has been carried out by Ward Marston who’s done a splendid job. Tully Potter’s notes are fine too. This is a handsome-looking and a handsome-sounding twofer, a worthy salute to a now-forgotten ensemble.

Jonathan Woolf   

Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free.

Contents
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Pantomime
Jean-Philippe Rameau: L’indiscrète
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Trio No.4 in E, K.542
Robert Schumann: Piano Trio No.3 in G minor, Op.110 
César Franck: Piano Trio No.1 in F sharp minor, Op.1 No.1
Camille Saint-Saëns: Piano Trio No.1 in F, Op.18
Joaquin Turina: Piano Trio No.1, Op.35
Fernand Quinet: Charade
Trio de la cour de Belgique: Alfred Dubois (violin), Maurice Dambois (cello), Emile Bosquet (piano)
rec.1928-30
Claude Debussy: La plus que lent
Claude Debussy: La Fille aux cheveux de lin
Alfred d’Ambrosio: Canzonetta
Alfred d’Ambrosio: Sérénade
Alfred d’Ambrosio: À ton reveil
Eugène Ysaÿe: Rêve d’enfant           
Fernand Goeyens: Paysage triste
Fernand Goeyens: Humoresque
Eugène Voss: Serenade
Alfred Dubois (violin), Fernand Goeyens (piano)
rec.1928-1931