At the start, this performance of the Triple Concerto augurs well; the conductor Edmon Colomer gives us the expositional material with purpose and a touch of quirky humour. But later I am less impressed. For some reason the balance between the members of the Barcelona Trio is not convincing: specifically, the sound of the violinist Gerard Claret often seems a little weak relative to his colleagues and in fact this appears to be at least partially his own fault, for his tone lacks fullness and vibrancy. Furthermore, his playing is less than impeccable in intonation. To hear what I mean, listen from the 11'35'' point in the first movement and in particular to the two passages of broken octaves beginning at 12'20''; another place in the movement where the Trio as a whole are just not up to the mark occurs at 14'06''. It seems to me self-evident that a really good performance of this Concerto needs first-rate soloists who are a good ensemble in their own right, and by and large, I do not think it is so with this group, founded in 1981. The other movements of the Triple Concerto do go better, despite the piano's plodding triplets early in the deliberately-paced Largo (2'11'')—both the second and third movements could move more freely—but it is workmanlike rather than distinguished playing, and even the members of the excellent English Chamber Orchestra sound at less than their best. The C minor Piano Trio (described as in C major on the back of the jewel-case) is a decent, full-blooded account but is rather thickly recorded.
The alternatives to the present issue are all preferable. The starry line-up of soloists on the EMI version—at mid price, too gives us a good ensemble and a vastly more interesting and varied performance of the Concerto, as do Karajan and his orchestra, while the 1969 Berlin sound has both character and impact. The Philips account with Haitink and the Beaux Arts Trio is a safe middle-of-the road choice, but less compelling and vital than Karajan's version. Actually I like the Kurt Masur performance of 1984 (EMI again) best of all for its alert yet affectionate playing and clean. fully digital sound'