Can you recommend a good current Beethoven PIano Trio recordings?

Kuma,

Most of Beethoven's trios are relatively modest works - but I agree with you that the Beaux Arts Trio, their early and late recordings, don't help matters. You might want to try the Wanderer Trio, on HM, for far more lively and searching interpretations.

Cheers,

EJ

The Florestan Trio recordings are a good combination of beautifully played and beautifully recorded,well worth a try.

I can recommend the Trio Wanderer, lively and fresh..

Hi Kuma

I have only two recordings of the "named" Trios; the mid sixties Beaux Arts Trio recording, and a wonderful Kempff, Szeryng, Fournier recording of the Archduke and Ghost Trios. Not sure which one I prefer.

I think the KSF recording may be hard to find. Sorry I can't be more helpful...

BBM 

Kuma, I have a good time with these guys.

Thank you all for your recommendation.

Trio Wanderer sounds promising.

Beaux Arts Trio is really testing my patience but I am going to get through them.

I can hear a glimpse of greatness in tunes but feel that these guys are not doing much with it to make it more involving. About half way through, my mind is start wandering because they all start to sound the same.

Haim,

Does the Guarneri Trio consist of same players as the Guarneri Quartet?

CFMF,

I will look for the KSF trio. I bet that's really interesting. It has got to be way better than the Beaux Arts. Ghost is such an interesting piece but I feel that the piano player in the Beaux Arts ( Pressler ) does not do much with it.

Steebo.

I will keep my eyes open for the Florestan Trio set.

Only ones I have are the sets on EMI by Ashkenazy, Perlman, Harrell. (OK, OK, not a 'current' trio !) Don't know how they 'stack' against the opposition, but maybe worth a listen, Kuma.

It's certainly a powerhouse of a trio !

WW,

Thanks! I will give it a listen.

Only have Vol.1 to enjoy, and i almost like it for all the wrong reasons:

the very fine recording, the fancy Golden CD,

and the courageous hair-do perm of the cellist  

~<>~

However, The Kempf Trio is a safer bet, another vote here.

Debs

The KSF trio is a Deutsche Gramophon release

http://www.qobuz.com/album/wil...rtrios/0002894741902

I have this excellent Kempf Trio.

recorded April 2003 at Nybrokajen 11, Stockholm, Sweden

wish it was the complete set though : (

Freddy Kempf piano

Pierre Bensand violin

Alexander Chaushian cello

Debs

Kempf vs Kempff!

Deb,

So this is better than the one with the dude with a bad hair?

How do they fair against Beaux Arts?

I brought the record down in the main rig, but a good system isn't helping their sleepy performance. :/

Haim,

Thanks for your clarification on the Guarneri Trio.

I will give it a go after I tried the Trio Wanderer which interests me most from all the wrong reasons. ( Better cover design and younger set performers )

How do you all rate this Phoenix Trio?

Kuma

If it’s a case of interpretation, which in turn is subjective, it’s possible we’d all like different versions, and there are so many.

If it’s liveliness of the violin that interests you, then try the Suk Trio.

Although i've not heard them play LvB piano trios and don't know which cd to recommend.

But i always love the way Joseph Suk plays violin [and viola too].

Debs

Deb,

How's the piano player in the Suk trio compared to Beaux Arts Trio?

I am interested in interplay between the musicians mainly as well as individual expressions.

That's what I enjoy in concertos.

Kuma

sorry i can’t help you there, i’ve not had the pleasure of direct comparison.

Where is Doug when we need him? : )

Meanwhile, i'm presently looking up the Guarneri Trio that Haim has suggested above:

I find this very enjoyable.

Čeněk Pavlík, violin
Marek Jerie, cello
Ivan Klánský, piano

and love the excellent sound engineering quality of Prauge Digital CD's too.

Maybe heading for a purchase here myself...

Debs

Debs

MDT has an offer running out on June 26th on Praga Digital recordings.

This Guarneri Trio Prague recording is also part of the offer. Check it out! 

-

Aleg

Thanks, Aleg

just ordered the 5 cd box set from MDT for £21.45 to include postage.

which is over £10 less than everywhere else i looked

Debs

Canbut help but think of Fr. Ted when I see this picture!

Sloop

Which one is Father Ted?

Which one is Dougal?

DRINK!!

Acutally, i thought they maybe priests at first,

but they're not. It's only the style of their jackets.

It's an excellent version of the Archduke, very nice recording too.

Are you sure you wouldn't like to buy a copy?

Are you really sure now?

Go on ~

You know you want to!

Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on...

Just found my copy of this lurking on the dusty shelf.

A couple of years ago i was very keen to hear versions of 'Ghost', which is why this was purchased.

It's 'okay' but doesn't spook me like the few others i've heard, and although not being particularly found of Brahms i find on this disc it's far more engaging than the Ludwig van.

Debs

Kuma, I’m so glad you started this topic.  Beethoven’s chamber music holds such a special place for me in my musical journey as the E-flat trio (Op. 1, No. 1) and then the C minor trio (Op. 1, No. 3) were the very first works for Piano trio that we did in our newly formed piano trio a long time ago.  And actually, the very first formidable chamber music I ever was involved with just prior to this was the Sonata in F major (Spring Sonata) for piano and violin.  This started the course for my love of chamber music such that now I devote probably 90% of my time to it presently.  Currently, I'm hoping to learn Beethoven's A major sonata for Piano and Cello and am busy working on this.  In a perfect world when I have more time after I win the lottery and can quit my stinking job then it would probably go 50/50 with solo works from morning till evening.

Having said this I’m not sure I can offer much more help here.  Everyone here has already offered excellent suggestions and advice.  I planned on suggesting every one of the above recommendations anyway but was too slow at the trigger.  In fact, Debs has a suspicious way of coming up with the exact disc I was going to suggest over the past week or so (Trio Parnassus, Kempf Trio, and Morgenstern).

The problem I have is that I like all the suggested groups above here for different reasons and maybe despite their idiosyncrasies.  Every group has a sound and so Beaux Arts Trio had an early sound.  When they changed from violinist Daniel Guilet to Isidore Cohen I think their sound got a little warmer although overall the pianist Menahem Pressler has kept all other aspects relatively similar.  If he currently isn't your thing then no use forcing the point.

The way an ensemble interacts with each other and the style (or how they view the composer) is also interesting.  The link above of the Phoenix Piano Trio is very interesting to me as there is no doubt about the direction of how they view this piece of music.  It is the polar opposite of say the early Beaux Arts style, which is very aggressive vs. a more passive view.  It’s hard to take your eyes off the cellist, Marie Macleod because she is holding her own so well against or along with her partners.  This is refreshing to see a joining of three equals (in temperament).  Often, you see the one big star take over.  In this music, I prefer an equal balance of input from all three voices.

So, as I always say, I like them all because I prefer to choose the interpretation to mostly match my mood.  If I pick randomly, I simply try to understand what they believe about this music and that has the effect of changing my mood.  I need to join their conversation as it’s impossible for me to change this and force my views on them.

Some groups like Trio Wanderer, Florestan, or even Guarneri Trio Prague to a degree, like to play fast to give the effect of lots of energy. Others like Beaux Arts or Trio Parnassus might be more in the middle ground.  Occasionally (and much to my pleasure) you get those who take their time.  Really, it’s a function of physics.  You play fast and your goal is the finish line.  If you play slower, the musician has so much more time and capability to do things with the music.  Some music calls for only speed and others the opposite but a good deal of music I think has the flexibility to let the performer decide how they see it.

If you want complete or nearly complete recordings, then groups like Beaux Arts, Trio Wanderer, Florestan, Guarneri Trio Prague, Borodin, Gryphon, Wiener, Isaac Sterns Trio, Barenboim’s Trio, Ashkenazy’s trio etc. meet this need.  The Gould Trio is a recent one which will be complete I’m sure.  I've always got some chamber music on order.  My next purchase will be the Storioni Trio.  If you want just a few trios the list is endless.  The Suk trio was mentioned (and yes, the violin is quite forward).  Don’t forget the powerhouse of Thibaud, Casals, & Cortot.  Every big name artist who does chamber music will have done at least a couple of Beethoven’s piano trios (like Fischer, Gilels etc.)  As you can see then, impossible for me to recommend just one as I collect these works like they were candy.  I find all of them invaluable in some way.

In order to indulge you though I’ll see if I can trick Deb’s into thinking I won’t post the following and then post them quickly so I then can beat her to it ;-)

At the risk of showing how quirky my tastes are I’ll recommend one of my favorite discs from the extraordinary Trio Jean Paul.  I really like these guys.  Here is a group that picked two lesser known or underdog trios.  In both cases, most groups pick the more popular Op. 1, No. 1 & 3 (just like I did in my trio) but these guys did the G major, no. 2.  Same with the op. 70 trios.  Most groups would pick the Ghost trio in D major.  These guys picked the E-flat trio.  What thrills me is that they are going against the grain and I applaud this.  In the well written program notes they so rightly note that too many seem to demand this cliché of a furled brow Beethoven stomping around shaking his fist at the heavens in defiance of his fate.  The two trios here are really more in the style of Haydn and we forget that Beethoven had a playful, humorous side too.  Anyway, I personally like this recording and the ensemble here is wonderful.

Another disc I thought I’d never like because the keyboardist is playing a pianoforte and that is the Staier, Sepec and Queyras.  It is different for me because of the different sound but what comes through is an abundance of energy.  Not for everyday but once in a while this gives an interesting view.

The last disc I’ll throw in the pile here is one only to help us remember that some wonderful music for piano trio exist by kicking out the pesky violinist and putting in a nice clarinet.  The Ensemble Kheops here does a wonderful job with the well known staple Op. 11 in B-flat major as well they offer the E-flat major trio after the Septet of Op. 20.  Note that the Guarneri Trio Prague also offers these works too on their complete recording.

Happy Listening,

Doug

Hi Doug,

Great post as usual, always interesting and informative.

Thanks for your kind words but please don’t mistake me for someone who knows very much. My musical experience and knowledge is fairly elementary, and I’ve listened to relatively very few LvB trios.

The Giester-Trio you have suggested above with Staier/Sepec/Queyras maybe very agreeable to my period instrument loving ears. The antique instruments they use were actually around in the life-time of Beethoven. This disc is now on my wish list having sampled the tracks on amazon - although the sampler don’t seem to do it justice.

I’m finding that watching You-Tube clips of performances can be very revealing to the calibre of the trio members in action. The Morgenstern Trio seem to be apprehensive, cautious, and sometimes agonize for awkward interaction which I found painful to watch, while the Phoenix have their strings pulled by rhythm [or by an invisible puppet master] perhaps this is stage managed for the camera, but the effect is entertaining [these guys i do like to watch] and they are producing a very satisfactory performance imho. And all this in contrast to the three wise old penguins of the Guarneri who calmly waddle on stage and professionally execute a masterful piece of work having done it a great many times before, no less - they make it look so easy…

But I’m glad the Guarneri box-set I have on order doesn’t come with DVD, I’m fine just listening : )

Debs

Doug,

Thank you so much for your insights on the topic.
I am definitely not a type to *collect* just to have them but am looking for the set to connect me with the music which I am having hard time getting the genre as a whole.

Interesting point about Pressler's piano playing. I don't see much out of this player but I don't get much of the fiddle players either! Why do you think he's good?

I have been busy listening to vinyl over the weekend but managed to listen to the Phoenix Trio. This CD contains just the Archduke Trio ( Op.97, No.7 ) and Op.70 No.2.

This might be the same live recording as the YouTube video I have embedded earlier but without the visuals, their playing style is rather plain than I expected.

They are livelier and more dynamic than Beaux Arts all right but still on balance, uneventful and bland to me.  I feel that they are playing it too safe and they are just too damn serious. It needs a dash of playfulness somewhere!

Their Archduke Trios is worse.  I don’t feel any interplay between the musicians lacking a certain tension. The whole performance  is just too comfortable and predictable to me. Gutsy Scherzo yet very little take away afterwards as I feel musicians are independently playing rather than having a fun rapport. Andante's sweet and retrospective feel is not coming through. It sounds just another slow number. Fiddle players have plenty of presence yet lacking subtleties and deeper insights. Piano does not have the breathing quality I look for.

So, I will be moving onto the next set!