Review by Beagle April 10, 2008 (5 of 5 found this review helpful)
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Shostakovich's trios are always interesting listening since he, like Beethoven, is a bit more jovial and relaxed in his trios than in his quartets, cracking jokes with friends rather than encoding criticisms of Stalin. For that reason it is fortunate that we have the excellent Shostakovich, Paul Juon: Piano Trios - Trio Paian.
I agree completely with Polly: the sound on this disc is satisfying -- but not the musicianship. Like the proverbial Curate's Egg, moments of music-making are quite good, just storming along in true Shostakovich style -- but then comes a gap in the tension which dissipates any cumulative energy. The fault is not Yampolsy's; he cracks the whip but the mules don't canter. At moments in the Sonata even Yampolsky misses his beat, waiting for the cello. The playing is so deliberate that I was certain that Rachmaninov Trio's performances were significantly longer in duration than those of the competition. But in fact the first two pieces are remarkably shorter (were repeats left out? I don't think so):
Trio No. 1 11:57 Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio 12:57 Trio Paian 10:53 Rachmaninov Trio
Cello Sonata 29:31 Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio 27:03 Rachmaninov Trio
But none of the above truly prevented me from enjoying the music, even though doubts nagged for my attention. What stopped me dead in my digital tracks was loud Gouldian vocal grunting – perhaps of frustration from Yampolsky? --Which raises the question: why was this recording made? Was a contract signed and its deadline forced the hands which were not ready?
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