Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Piano Trios

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a newly released [budget] set containing the Beaux Arts Trio's second traversal of all of Beethoven's piano trios, plus some interesting oddities such as the trio based on Beethoven's Second Symphony. I recently acquired this 5 CD collection and am quite impressed by the warm, vibrant playing from the Beaux Arts Trio: pianist Menachem Pressler, cellist Bernard Greenhouse and violinist Isidore Cohen. Although some critics contend that the Beaux Arts Trio's 1960's version is more riveting than their late 1970's/early 1980's version, I find the latter quite compelling on its own. The playing is absolutely first rate, replete with much warmth and empathy for Beethoven's scores. The sound quality is also fine, even if it doesn't feature Philips' latest digital image bit remastering.

In their 50th year now, The Beaux Arts Trio has achieved legendary status for their crisp, elegant, and polished playing and adherence to the spirit of the music. Pianist Menahem Pressler (the last remaining original member) finesefully drives the music forward with his deft and articulate keyboard work that is always marvelously alive and bouyant. His style has an attractive lyrical quality to it which blends marvously with the two strings whose playing is of the highest caliber. It doesn't seem the Beaux Arts Trio recorded many "duds" as far as I can tell, and this excellent 5-CD set is no exception. And while their classy playing might project a slightly more refined than dramatic Beethoven here, such a style is well suited to the classical-era style of these earlier works prior to 1805 and Beethoven's slow-but-sure departure from classical forms and mannerisms.

Part of this more 'classical Beethoven' found in most of the trios here is partly because of the genre. The piano trio genre was not the place Beethoven experimented or "went all out" - as he did in his symphonies, quartets and piano sonatas - but more a genre he wrote to sell music (although the empassioned C-minor trio of Opus 1 seems more written for Beethoven's own expression). In the late 1700's, the piano trio was a popular combination for the home music market for many a Vieneese amatuer. Also, it was common and in demand for composers and publishers to transpose popular orchestral works down to the piano trio (such as the two in this set) for this market of paying customers. What was also a trend then was including the themes of the latest "pop music" people were humming around town in theme & variation movements, which is seen here in some of the trios in this 5-CD set.

The quality of music Beethoven wrote in the trios is very good and highly enjoyable to listen to. Surprizingly, some of Beethoven's finest piano trios are found in his Opus 1 set - the very first compositions Beethoven found worthy of publication. These were written in his early 20's and already show the musical skills and depth of a fully-mature composer. Highlights of these recordings are the attractive and musically-rich Opus 1 set mentioned, the magnificant opus 70 two trios, and the noble, heroic-period "Archduke Trio" - perhaps the most famous of them all. The Beaux Arts Trio not only brings out the power and drama of the fast movements quite well (a stunning C-minor Op.1 no. 3), but especially conveys a most attractive lyrical quality in the slow movements with great beauty and sensitivity, such as in the haunghtingly attractive Largo of the famous "Ghost" trio, (Op. 70 no. 1).

This is a really high quality and distinguished set of recordings packaged nicely in a super-slim box for easy storage and offered at an attractive price. Bottom line is they play this music superbly. Another Beaux Arts Trio set that is equally staturesque and warmly recommended is their 9-CD set of Haydn's Piano Trios (Philips). Compositions - 5 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound quality - 4 stars.

The piano is not balanced with the violin and cello, it drowns them out. The violin at times is quite muted and the cello is often indistinct. Listen to the samples critically before buying. I found the same problem on another Philips set of Haydn Piano Trios.

I used to listen to the Beethoven piano trios on LPs, the original releases by the Beaux arts Trio (Presler, Cohen, Greenhouse). It was 'in-house' wisdom that those were the standard of interpretation. I was satisfied enough to have replaced the LPs with the complete-box re-release of CDs three or four years ago. I don't want to say that I'm suddenly dissatisfied with the Beaux Arts performances. I'm not. They remain the standard of excellence for performance on modern piano and strings.

Nevertheless, the recording of Haydn's Last Four Piano Trios by Robert Levin, Anner Bylsma, and Vera Beths impressed me as such a revelation that I hastened to buy this CD of Beethoven's two most popular piano trios, to see what difference the historical instruments might make. The keyboardist on this CD is Jos van Immerseel in place of Robert Levin. I played this and my older recording "back to back", movement by movement, Opus 70 #1 first and then Opus 97. Quite an afternoon of listening pleasure!

Most people living in the 19th Century, Beethoven's contemporaries and their heirs, would have made their acquaintance with Beethoven's music from the page, from playing it themselves rather than hearing it in a concert hall. That would have been especially true of chamber works like these piano trios; in many cases, we know exactly for whom Beethoven composed such music, who played it first, etc. We know some of the occasions when Beethoven himself played the fortepiano (he NEVER played the instrument we call a piano today), often with members of the household on the violin and cello. Such music was written for elegant pleasure, for shared entertainment in the salons of the wealthy. People of lesser means but rich enough to own instruments would soon have had the opportunity to buy the printed scores and imitate the elegance of their "betters". The image of Beethoven elaborated by later romantic historians, as a thunderous social radical and uncompromising musical tyrant, is partly humbug and partly based on the composer's unfortunate attempts to keep playing despite his deafness. What this all leads to, in my mind, is the necessity of remembering that these and other pieces of Beethoven's chamber music should NOT be overinterpreted. They should be beautiful to hear above all. They should embody both the taste, and to challenges to that taste, of the era in which they were composed. That would seem to be a central tenet of "historically informed" performance.

So... the first thing most listeners will hear in the comparison of the Beaux Arts vs. the Immerseel/Bylsma/Beth is that the former interpret the music more dramatically. It's hard for me not to declare that they overplay some passages, that they coarsen the music with romantic excess. The historical instrument trio tends to let the music "speak for itself" in affect, and to concentrate on purely musical values. I rush to confess, mind you, that I never 'heard' the Beaux Arts people as overinterpreting until I played this track-to-track match-up.

The next thing I heard was that the fortepiano had certain advantages for THIS music over the modern grand piano. Obviously the modern piano has resources the fortepiano lacked. The timbre of the lower and higher octaves on the modern piano is far more consistent; the forte piano sounds tinkly in its highest range and plunky in its lowest. However, for THIS music, such a contrast of timbre is quite satisfactory. It clarifies the voicing and emphasizes the contrast of registers. The fortepiano lacked the pedal controls of the modern piano, but listening to the two instruments in comparison, I find that Menahem Pressler of Beaux Arts depended far too much on damping the piano-string resonance by pedal. The quick decay of the 'lighter' fortepiano produces a cleaner, more transparent, more elegant sound. A more subtle difference will be heard only on high quality sound equipment; the modern piano, with its crossed string construction, inevitably 'contaminates' its notes with sympathetic vibrations, producing a low rumble of dissonance. Hence the tuning of the fortepiano is purer and acoustically simpler.

The dynamic range of the modern piano, from softest to loudest, is far greater than that of the fortepiano, especially toward the fortissimo side. But when Pressler coaxes his piano to its most energetic forte, the violin of Isadore Cohen becomes shrill and edgy. Odd that modern metal strings should sound more 'feline' than pre-modern 'cat gut' strings! On the whole, though Vera Beths is a less skilled player than Cohen, the sound of her violin is sweeter and better balanced with the fortepiano. Remember my premise, that the beauty of this music trumps the melodrama! (This inherent balance problem is what has prompted other reviewers to give the Beaux Arts recordings low ratings.)

As for the cellos, the comparison is easy. Anner Bylsma is profoundly more sensitive to the ensemble values of these trios, more generous, more fundamentally musical, than modern cellist Bernard Greenhouse, and once again the gut strings of the historical cello sound sweeter and blend better.

The Beaux Arts box is a great performance and a great value; I have no complaints about it. But if a complete set of Beethoven's fortepiano trios performed by Bylsma&Co were available, I'd recommend it as the better choice. Head to head, I prefer Bylsma&Co on every movement of these two trios except the Largo Assai of the "Ghost" trio, which the Beaux Arts bunch performs exquisitely.

Top notch recording at a bargain basement price.
I hitherto knew only the Archduke. The rest are really worth getting to know.

When I changed my computer's audio player from Windows and/or iTunes to Winamp, I realised that my MP3 download of the "Archduke" trio wasn't good enough.

So I went browsing through Amazon's audition tracks. You'd be amazed how many interpretations there are of the "Archduke". You'd also be amazed at how poorly some of the players are served by their recording engineers. Instruments are allowed to dominate in a manner that simply should not happen in chamber music. It is, after all, supposed to be a conversation between intelligent people, but some recordings are virtually piano solos.

In the end, that was why I bought this set. The players work together extremely well, and their recording engineer works with them extremely well, so the result is chamber music as it should be.

Unfortunately the recordings are about 30 years old, and it shows. In particular, the piano can be quite harsh. I don't like some of the tempi either, but that's a matter of personal preference. I think they're a bit slow. In the case of the "Archduke" first movement, very slow.

Pressler and co. deliver here nearly six hours of brilliant Beethoven pieces. Listening to the music in this collection from start to finish, there is really no gap, no moment where composer or performers were at less than their best. The Beaux Arts Trio's combined musicianship and chemistry is unsurpassed, in my modest opinion.

For the fans of Antonio Meneses, such as myself, it is important to point out that he was not part of the Beaux Arts Trio at the time of this recording. Bernard Greenhouse plays the cello instead, with Isidore Cohen at the violin, all with great competence. This minor disappointment ended up taking really nothing away from my enjoyment of this recording.

I believe Beethoven to be at the peak of his vast musical powers in this format, the piano trio. For me, it is at the same level of his piano sonatas, piano concertos, and of course the symphonies. It is interesting to note that the first three piano trios, published together as his opus no. 1, have four movements, in a structure reminiscent of the classical symphony. One also finds here a transcription of symphony no. 2 to the piano trio, made by Beethoven himself. Yet another transcription is the unnumbered Piano Trio in E flat major, which is an arrangement of the famous Septet op. 20.

Strongly recommended, and at this price, it is unbeatable for the quality and quantity of music.

EDIT: I found out today (May 7), with some sadness, that the Beaux Arts Trio has disbanded after 53 years. They gave their last performance on August 24, 2008. Menahem Pressler will accept, on behalf of the Trio, the prestigious Edison lifetime achievement award (other recipients include Kiri Te Kanawa and Rostropovitch) in the Netherlands this June.

Two stars only. One other reviewer has commented on the balance of these recordings. Piano is ridiculously dominant. Violin and cello barely audible at times. Having other recordings by Florestan Trio , Kempff with Fournier and Szering and the Stern , Rose ,Istomin recordings I do have something with which to compare. Sound quality aside these B. Arts interpretations are pretty awful destroying Archduke and Ghost and even the Opus 1. I find it hard to believe anyone could like these unless on grounds of having no other recordings. Prospective purchasers beware or better still avoid.

My husband and I have loved the Beaux Arts Trio for many years and were very happy to find the edition of the Beethoven piano trios. The interpretations are superb, the playing is masterful and flawless. As long as the pianist Menahem Pressler will remain with the Trio, we will always try to hear them in concerts or on CD. We own most of their recordings.

I decided one day to look into string chamber music, and lucked out completely by getting this five-disk series.

I was not familiar with these pieces and am still amazed that such sounds were ever created or could be conceived of.

I particularly love the third CD in this production.

I would love to put the first few chords on Trio 7 on my cell phone, it would be so superior to everybody else's little ditties that we all suffer through!

I have listened to this CD for a couple years now and do not tire of it.

Ben