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Haydn: The Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 1; Fischer: One Bar Wonder
Haydn: The Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 1; Fischer: One Bar Wonder in Bloomington, MN
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This release from
Trio Gaspard
marks the beginning of a new cycle of
Haydn
's piano trios, and it's an impressive overture that made best-seller lists in the summer of 2022. The trio uses modern instruments, taking the unusual position that the sounds characteristic of historical instruments are also available on modern ones if the players work at it, and indeed, the
Chandos
label's engineering manages a flat, percussive sound at Suffolk's Potton hall, with a closed or near-closed piano, that evokes historical-instrument readings. The trios here are late works, dating from the mid-1780s and later, and it remains to be seen how the group's approach works in earlier pieces, but here, it is splendid. The pieces here have all the hallmarks of
's late style, with third relations and other innovative harmonies that point toward
Beethoven
(indeed, any of these works could be programmed with
's
Op. 1 trios
) and an extreme motivic concision that lends itself to subtle humor. The
is completely alert to the latter quality, which is where many
interpreters falter. More generally, the players rightly stress in a note that the traditional view of
's trios -- that they are essentially piano works with almost-optional violin and cello parts -- is wrong, and the group's playing backs up their conception, focusing closely on the clever details involving interactions between the instruments. Other attractions include a contemporary piece (each volume in the set will have one that is related to the
works on the album) by
Johannes Fischer
, based on the opening bar of the
Piano Trio in D major, Hob. 15/7
, which is repeated but then subtly displaced as the work proceeds. The graphics and notes refer to "remixed" and "looped" music, but the work is apparently played by the three traditional instruments alone. A superior
trio recording that will leave many listeners feeling they've heard the music anew. ~ James Manheim
Trio Gaspard
marks the beginning of a new cycle of
Haydn
's piano trios, and it's an impressive overture that made best-seller lists in the summer of 2022. The trio uses modern instruments, taking the unusual position that the sounds characteristic of historical instruments are also available on modern ones if the players work at it, and indeed, the
Chandos
label's engineering manages a flat, percussive sound at Suffolk's Potton hall, with a closed or near-closed piano, that evokes historical-instrument readings. The trios here are late works, dating from the mid-1780s and later, and it remains to be seen how the group's approach works in earlier pieces, but here, it is splendid. The pieces here have all the hallmarks of
's late style, with third relations and other innovative harmonies that point toward
Beethoven
(indeed, any of these works could be programmed with
's
Op. 1 trios
) and an extreme motivic concision that lends itself to subtle humor. The
is completely alert to the latter quality, which is where many
interpreters falter. More generally, the players rightly stress in a note that the traditional view of
's trios -- that they are essentially piano works with almost-optional violin and cello parts -- is wrong, and the group's playing backs up their conception, focusing closely on the clever details involving interactions between the instruments. Other attractions include a contemporary piece (each volume in the set will have one that is related to the
works on the album) by
Johannes Fischer
, based on the opening bar of the
Piano Trio in D major, Hob. 15/7
, which is repeated but then subtly displaced as the work proceeds. The graphics and notes refer to "remixed" and "looped" music, but the work is apparently played by the three traditional instruments alone. A superior
trio recording that will leave many listeners feeling they've heard the music anew. ~ James Manheim
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