Original Masters - Beaux Arts Trio
Posted by: Todd A on 21 February 2005
As soon as I saw that this would be issued, I knew I would get it. Unlike many other reissues in the Original Masters series, the BAT is an extremely well-known commodity, and they receive plenty of spin-time round these parts. I mean, I’m talking about (arguably?) the greatest piano trio in the history of recording, so how could I not love them?
Even though the composers covered in their set are all well-known, I own few recordings of the works included, and had I not even heard some. Take the two Mendelssohn Piano Trios that begin the set: I’d never heard them. I like Mendelssohn, but he’s just not a composer I turn to very often, and since the piano trio is not my favorite chamber genre (that would be the string quartet), I saw little need to investigate them much. Besides, there were no recordings by the BAT available! Really, in this genre, I prefer to go for the best, and that means the BAT. My wait was rewarded. The two Mendelssohn trios are among the best things in this four-disc set: they perfectly combine classical proportion and romantic exuberance, refinement and passion. The BAT are in their element and bring the pieces to life. How silly of me not to sample these earlier. But then, would I have been as impressed with the pieces in the hands of a lesser ensemble? These two works feature the fiddling of original member Daniel Guilet, and his tone is a bit wiry and scratchy at times, but that matters little.
The first disc is filled out with Robert Schumann’s Third Piano Trio, and it, too, is quite fine. It’s heavier, stormier, more overtly romantic than Mendelssohn, as one might expect, but it also lacks those joyfully mercurial and free aspects of Schumann’s greatest works. This is a relatively late work, with all that implies. Anyway, the second disc starts with Bob’s First and Second Trios. I actually started my listening adventure with the First, and I must confess that I was not impressed. The BAT were fine, of course, but Schumann’s invention was not to the standard I had hoped for. Fortunately, that situation is rectified with the Second (the only one of the three I’d previously heard), and here is more fine Schumann music, with those Schumann-esque traits I so admire. The second disc also features Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, and what a fine little work it is. It doesn’t match up to her husband’s last two, nor to Mendelssohn’s two examples, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. A nice find.
The third disc is given over to Chopin and Tchaikovsky. Neither composer is quite at home as in other genres. Of the two, I prefer the Chopin. It is not ideally taut, nor is it as well-proportioned as the Mendelssohn works, but it is still a fine work, and it has the Pole’s identity stamped all over it. (That’s a very good thing.) The Tchaikovsky is surprisingly good, but it is too long by half. The BAT make the best of it, though.
The fourth disc contains quite an odd assortment: Smetana, Ives, and DSCH’s Second Trio. Quality? Good, but, well, I’ll be blunt: the BAT blow the Smetana. The only other version I have is the Joachim Trio’s on Naxos, and they do a better job. (I’ve also heard another, better version on the radio, but don’t know who performed it.) The BAT just don’t seem as at home in Smetana’s sound world. That’s okay; one dud out of dozens of recordings ain’t too shabby. The Ives fares much better, but like the Tchaikovsky, it’s too long. As to sound world, it’s Ivesian, that’s for sure. The biggest hit on the disc is the DSCH. I was a bit skeptical at first. Could the BAT play rough enough, intense enough to do justice to the music? Yes! Full of gusto, irony, energy, and violence, the score comes alive under the six hands of this ensemble. One hears the references to other DSCH works – some subtle, some not – and it all comes together nicely.
But how do the BAT play? How do you think? As a piano trio, they are unmatched, and from first note to last, this is clear. I have nothing but the highest praise for the playing. Sound, too, is generally excellent. A few of the pieces are a bit tilted up, but otherwise, the sound is clear and weighty enough to do justice to all involved. Another nice feature is that a number of these works recordings are only now receiving their world-wide CD release. At the price, there’s no reason not to give this set a shot.
Even though the composers covered in their set are all well-known, I own few recordings of the works included, and had I not even heard some. Take the two Mendelssohn Piano Trios that begin the set: I’d never heard them. I like Mendelssohn, but he’s just not a composer I turn to very often, and since the piano trio is not my favorite chamber genre (that would be the string quartet), I saw little need to investigate them much. Besides, there were no recordings by the BAT available! Really, in this genre, I prefer to go for the best, and that means the BAT. My wait was rewarded. The two Mendelssohn trios are among the best things in this four-disc set: they perfectly combine classical proportion and romantic exuberance, refinement and passion. The BAT are in their element and bring the pieces to life. How silly of me not to sample these earlier. But then, would I have been as impressed with the pieces in the hands of a lesser ensemble? These two works feature the fiddling of original member Daniel Guilet, and his tone is a bit wiry and scratchy at times, but that matters little.
The first disc is filled out with Robert Schumann’s Third Piano Trio, and it, too, is quite fine. It’s heavier, stormier, more overtly romantic than Mendelssohn, as one might expect, but it also lacks those joyfully mercurial and free aspects of Schumann’s greatest works. This is a relatively late work, with all that implies. Anyway, the second disc starts with Bob’s First and Second Trios. I actually started my listening adventure with the First, and I must confess that I was not impressed. The BAT were fine, of course, but Schumann’s invention was not to the standard I had hoped for. Fortunately, that situation is rectified with the Second (the only one of the three I’d previously heard), and here is more fine Schumann music, with those Schumann-esque traits I so admire. The second disc also features Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, and what a fine little work it is. It doesn’t match up to her husband’s last two, nor to Mendelssohn’s two examples, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. A nice find.
The third disc is given over to Chopin and Tchaikovsky. Neither composer is quite at home as in other genres. Of the two, I prefer the Chopin. It is not ideally taut, nor is it as well-proportioned as the Mendelssohn works, but it is still a fine work, and it has the Pole’s identity stamped all over it. (That’s a very good thing.) The Tchaikovsky is surprisingly good, but it is too long by half. The BAT make the best of it, though.
The fourth disc contains quite an odd assortment: Smetana, Ives, and DSCH’s Second Trio. Quality? Good, but, well, I’ll be blunt: the BAT blow the Smetana. The only other version I have is the Joachim Trio’s on Naxos, and they do a better job. (I’ve also heard another, better version on the radio, but don’t know who performed it.) The BAT just don’t seem as at home in Smetana’s sound world. That’s okay; one dud out of dozens of recordings ain’t too shabby. The Ives fares much better, but like the Tchaikovsky, it’s too long. As to sound world, it’s Ivesian, that’s for sure. The biggest hit on the disc is the DSCH. I was a bit skeptical at first. Could the BAT play rough enough, intense enough to do justice to the music? Yes! Full of gusto, irony, energy, and violence, the score comes alive under the six hands of this ensemble. One hears the references to other DSCH works – some subtle, some not – and it all comes together nicely.
But how do the BAT play? How do you think? As a piano trio, they are unmatched, and from first note to last, this is clear. I have nothing but the highest praise for the playing. Sound, too, is generally excellent. A few of the pieces are a bit tilted up, but otherwise, the sound is clear and weighty enough to do justice to all involved. Another nice feature is that a number of these works recordings are only now receiving their world-wide CD release. At the price, there’s no reason not to give this set a shot.