Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 (Robert Schumann)

Chronique

Though he was inspired to make his first significant contributions to the genre following the publication of one of the most enduringly popular piano trios of all time -- Mendelssohn's D minor Trio -- Schumann's piano trios did not garner the same reaction as Mendelssohn's, nor have they proven to be especially popular to modern audiences. Schumann tries to say a lot in his trios, imbuing them with song-like qualities, poeticism, and sweeping Romantic gestures. For listeners and performers alike, it can at times be too much to easily digest. Solid, demonstrative performances help greatly in navigating the scores to these works. The Swiss Piano Trio, on this Audite album featuring the First and Second piano trios, provides just such performances. The opening of the D minor trio is surprisingly heavy and stodgy, but this characteristic is fortunately abandoned for the remainder of the album. The ensemble has a unique ability to produce both a unified, homogenous sound quality and to allow individual instruments to clearly penetrate the sometimes dense texture. This brings to light individual motives, gestures, and melodies, allowing listeners to better understand Schumann's intentions. Audite's SACD sound quality is pleasingly rich and resonant while maintaining clarity and articulation of individual parts.
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