SCHUBERT Piano Trio No 1. Trout Quintet
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Alpha
Magazine Review Date: 02/2023
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 81
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: ALPHA884
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Piano Trio No. 1 |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Busch Trio Daniel Palmizio, Viola Naomi Shaham, Double bass |
Quintet for Piano and Strings, 'Trout' |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Busch Trio Daniel Palmizio, Viola Naomi Shaham, Double bass |
Author: David Threasher
Enthusiasm, affection and style were three of the attributes of the Busch Trio’s playing identified by Richard Bratby when he reviewed the ensemble’s last foray into Schubert (the E flat Trio and so on, 12/20). All those qualities are here again in abundance, the B flat Trio radiant where the E flat is motivically combative, the Trout Quintet perhaps the sine qua non of works composed for companionable music-making.
The striding opening of the Trio is suitably outgoing here, vividly transmitting its melodic generosity, but this ensemble’s extroversion does not ignore the clouds that cover its essentially sunny outlook on occasion. The mood is appropriately tender in the Andante, quizzical in the Scherzo and urbane in the finale. The Busch Trio’s sympathy with this repertoire feels absolute, their communicative ardour evident throughout the performance.
The two trios are works on the largest scale, so don’t often come with much more than brief couplings to add a few minutes to the running time. So it’s a blessing indeed to have the B flat Trio coupled with a whole Trout Quintet, and not one that’s rushed through, either. Tempos are never less than go-ahead but in every movement bar the finale the Busch are more expansive than the recent recording by Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniil Trifonov and friends (DG, 12/17) – by a whole minute and a half in the opening movement. The Trout is one of those works that seems indestructible: it’s virtually impossible for even the most half-hearted performance not to convey bags of charm and charisma. When it’s played with the affection that the Busch lavish upon it, it’s irresistible. The recording smooths the edges off the piano sound but enables the contribution of each player to be heard ideally. Omri Epstein’s piano bubbles and ripples infectiously but the whole is anchored by the buoyant bass of Naomi Shaham. A true delight from start to finish.
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