SCHUMANN Complete Piano Trios
Andsnes and the Tetzlaffs illuminate Schumann’s piano trios as rarely before
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Robert Schumann
Genre:
Chamber
Label: EMI
Magazine Review Date: 07/2011
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 122
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: 094180-2
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Piano Trio No. 1 |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Leif Ove Andsnes, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer Tanja Tetzlaff, Cello |
Piano Trio No. 2 |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Leif Ove Andsnes, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer Tanja Tetzlaff, Cello |
Piano Trio No. 3 |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Leif Ove Andsnes, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer Tanja Tetzlaff, Cello |
(6) Studies |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Leif Ove Andsnes, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer Tanja Tetzlaff, Cello |
Fantasiestücke |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin Leif Ove Andsnes, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer Tanja Tetzlaff, Cello |
Author: Harriet Smith
So what makes this so special? First, the pianist: Leif Ove Andsnes has long been acclaimed for his Schumann, as witness his exceptional recording of the Piano Quintet with the Artemis Quartet. He also has a greater range of colour and a wider dramatic vocabulary than the Florestan’s Susan Tomes, fine though she is. Compared to the Beaux Arts, who did much to champion the trios back in the early days, there’s greater airiness within the textures on this new set, particularly among the Tetzlaff siblings. And the composer’s obsessive qualities become something to be explored rather than endured, as witness the propulsive rhythms underpinning the D minor Trio’s second movement or the G minor’s third, which here have a galvanising effect rather than a stifling one. Again and again, these players find new richness in the music, moulding the finale of the Third Trio into life rather than pummelling it, as the Beaux Arts are wont to do.
There’s a fine line between discipline and freedom in much of Schumann’s later music – his propensity for wide-slung, technically awkward melodies can be a challenge for performers – but here the effect is unfailingly effortless. Just listen to the way the opening of the G minor Trio soars; or the voicing and pacing of the first movement of the D minor Trio, its mix of unrest and euphoria unerringly captured without underplaying the abrupt crises that punctuate the music.
It’s not just for their dramatic pacing that I treasure these performances but for their lyrical qualities too: just listen to the unfolding of the second movement of the F major Trio (every bit as heart-rending melodically as the slow movement of the Piano Quartet). And in the “Duett” from the Op 88 Fantasiestücke I defy you to find more beauty and understanding between two string players, with Andsnes the most sensitive of supporting artists. True, there are places in this set of pieces where you’ll find more abandon (witness Argerich and the Capuçons) but these are, to my ears, more probing readings. The addition of the Canons (in Theodor Kirchner’s arrangements) is a final bonus, setting the seal on a remarkable achievement.
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