Beethoven: Triple Concerto in Bloomington, MN

It is rare that an all-star performance of one of the big piano trios or of
Beethoven
's
Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56
, essentially a concerto for piano trio and orchestra, really succeeds; soloists with busy schedules generally don't have the time for concentrated chamber music study with new partners. An exception is this 2024 release, featuring violinist
Nicola Benedetti
, pianist
Benjamin Grosvenor
, and cellist
Sheku Kanneh-Mason
in the
, with
Santtu-Mathias Rouvali
conducting the
Philharmonia Orchestra
.
Rouvali
starts things off effectively, defining big spaces for the soloists with the opening tutti, and
Kanneh-Mason
grabs the spotlight with a highly expressive opening cello line. The other two players carefully weave him into the trio texture as they appear. The good news continues in the other two movements, with
delivering a slow, deeply lyrical slow movement and the players joining for a finale that brings out the Polish dance rhythm. A bonus is a collection of
's folk song settings for the same instrumental combination plus baritone
Gerald Finley
. His contributions are neutral, and the sound recording doesn't do him any favors, but the instrumental players do justice to these little pieces, which sometimes contain interesting subtleties. They are often treated as money-making piecework for
, but in fact, he continued writing them even when he had not been commissioned. A
Fritz Kreisler
transcription of the
Londonderry Air
, also known as
Danny Boy
, makes an effectively sentiment-laden, if not especially relevant, finale for an above-average release by young stars. ~ James Manheim