Goldmark, K.: Piano Trios, Opp. 4 and 33 (Karl Goldmark)

Album review

Respected in late nineteenth century Vienna by both Brahmsians and Wagnerians, Karl Goldmark transcended stylistic distinctions by drawing on a variety of sources for inspiration: Bach, Mendelssohn, Spohr, and Schumann, as well as Jewish chants and Austro-Hungarian folk dances. These influences made Goldmark's music accessible and uncontroversial, yet they also contributed to its eventual obscurity; where it proved most agreeable and familiar, it also lacked innovation and conflict -- preoccupations of the approaching Zeitgeist -- and provided few challenges to musicians of the post-Romantic generation. Goldmark's easy blending of older styles is apparent in the two works on this 2004 disc from Centaur, and the Mendelssohn Piano Trio presents them with sincerity and warmth, which are essential to their spirit. The Trio in B flat major, Op. 4, is clearly the most Romantic in its youthful ardor and lyricism, and at times hearkens back to Schubert in its bouncing rhythms and transparent textures. In contrast, the mature Trio in E minor, Op. 33, is more serious in tone and focused on fugal counterpoint, a result of Goldmark's lifelong fascination with Bach. Together, these works present a portrait of a backward-glancing composer, yet one quite comfortable in his traditions and competent in his technique. Centaur's sound quality is clear and vibrant.
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