Buy? £13.99
Recording details: December 2002
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: April 2004
Total duration: 71 minutes 1 seconds
View sleeve notes/artwork
'Everything about this release is distinguished: superb engineering that puts the performers squarely in the room; virtuosic execution, with precision prevailing, even in the most rapidly executed runs; careful attention to balances, detail, and dynamics; and, perhaps most important, tempos that invariably hit the right emotional and aesthetic bull's eye' (Fanfare, USA)
'This is the third volume of the Florestans' four-CD set of the complete piano trios; like its predecessors, it's a winner ... The first two trios, recorded here, are among the young composer's most engaging, entertaining and genial works, and they get performances of characteristic swagger, brio and wit from this elite ensemble, perhaps the finest contemporary exponents of this repertoire performing on modern instruments today. Sample the irresistible elan of the allegro first movements and dazzling presto finales, and be won over' (The Sunday Times)
'The Florestan Trio seems determined to extract every last ounce of energy, wit and spirit from these early works ... The principal vehicle for conveying the music's brightness is Susan Tomes's finger-work, wonderfully precise and rhythmical' (Gramophone)
'Susan Tomes's dancing, crystalline passagework is a constant delight; instrumental repartee is delectably crisp and pointed; and the players are acutely alive to the sudden moments of stillness and harmonic darkening' (BBC Music Magazine)
'The Florestan Trio's performance is vivid and dynamic' (Classic FM Magazine)
'The Florestan Trio’s collection of Beethoven trios is rounding itself out to be an outstanding cycle of an extraordinary standard.
Now we have the opus 1 trios … The feeling of freshness and newness in the Florestan’s playing is highly virtuosic, yet witty and sensitive. Seldom is the vexing question of the balance between piano and string instruments so convincingly solved as here. The perceptiveness of the three musicians is enhanced by the fine recording technique.' (Klassik Heute}
'This ensemble are probably the finest current interpreters of this repertoire on modern instruments, and their superb playing supplies some extra vigour and wit … With Hyperion's very good sound, this this has got to be a winner and has therefore got to receive a firm recommendation' (Hi-Fi+)
'Hearing what these players can do with Beethoven in his early stages sharpens the appetite for the other courses in the Beethoven trio cycle' (San Francisco Chronicle)
'The listener's attention is constantly sharpened by the lucidity of this performance ... A performance equal to the music itself' (Nineteenth-century Music Review)
Piano Trio in E flat major, Op 1 No 1
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Movement 1: Allegro
[9'23]
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Movement 2: Adagio cantabile
[6'47]
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Movement 4: Presto
[7'12]
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Piano Trio in G major, Op 1 No 2
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Movement 4: Presto
[7'16]
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Piano Trio in E flat major, WoO38
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Movement 1: Allegro moderato
[4'04]
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Beethoven was determined to create a stir in the world with his Opus 1, and seems to have laboured long on the trios, revising them extensively before publication. He had first ventured a piano trio in 1791, and it was no accident that he chose the medium to announce himself to the wider musical world. The combination of violin, cello and piano was a favourite with amateurs, promising healthy sales, and it assured Beethoven a star role on his own instrument.
Op 1 was enthusiastically received, and made the composer a handsome profit. Each of the trios is in four movements rather than the two or three expected in chamber music with piano: these are not elevated divertissements, but symphonies for three instruments.
The third of the Op 1 trios will appear on the fourth, and final, volume of the series, scheduled for release later in 2004.
Other albums in this series |
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