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Site review by Polly Nomial November 27, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
This is a wonderful set - pristine playing that is never prissy allied with a recording that is wonderfully clear.
On a pair of well-filled discs, we are presented with all the works (bar the odd fragment) that Mozart completed for piano trio: the five trios (KV 496, 502, 542, 548 & 564) and the divertimento KV 254. All customary repeats are observed.
Rather being played in composition order, the pieces are performed in the following order:
Disc 1: Trio's 4, 2 & 3
Disc 2: Trio's 5 & 6, 1 "Divertimento"
This is a little unfortunate because we go straight from mature to semi-mature Mozart right at the end - if ever there was a case for programming your player, this is it. This is the only negative aspect of the presentation; the notes are brief but good and the biography is short with some tantalising hopes for Haydn.
The performances themselves are very well turned out - almost model Mozartian playing. At no time does one feel as though the players are holding back nor are they imposing Romantic ideas on to the notes. Phrases are neatly seperated yet also have the feeling of flowing into one another and also from instrument to instrument. Perhaps most tellingly of all, one never considers the players and when listening, the only thoughts that come to mind are about Mozart. The virtuosity of the cellist is hard to judge from such a simple part - for the violinist and pianist it is not in doubt! Those who are worried by such things can rest assured that the virtuosity is entirely self-effacing. The tone of the trio is appropriately small but not unpleasently thin.
The recording is clear with the instruments in sharp focus; the listener is not too close nor far away enough to blur the sound picture. The positions adopted are the typical piano trio set up with the violinist on the left of the piano & the cellist on the right. The ambience of the hall is also well presented.
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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