Customer Reviews

Haydn: Complete Piano Trios

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One might suspect that 43 piano trios are a tad much; as far as I'm concerned, it's 43 too few. There is not one trio here that will not delight or please by its melody or invention. Nothing is stagnant or academic--- it's all sheer pleasure, hours and hours worth. And, trio after trio, we find Haydn consistently ingenious, never dull, never boring. And there is so much here to revel in, too. Perky allegros, haunting andantes, witty prestos. This is Haydn at his most endearing and accessible, no doubt about it. But, of course, those of us who love and admire Haydn's chamber music already know this. The Beaux Arts Trio have made these Haydn works their own, period. It is a landmark reissue in every sense. The analogue transfers, as well, are immaculate, warm, full-bodied and with remarkable presence.

[Running time--- CD 1: 71:28 CD 2: 77:07 CD 3: 70:29 CD 4: 65:50 CD 5: 74:45
CD 6: 76:34 CD 7: 66:29 CD 8: 61:24 CD 9: 69:52]

This remarkable 9 CD set clearly disproves Schumann's comment about Haydn [an old family friend whom one receives gladly and respectfully but who has nothing new to tell us]. I am not surprised that it received Gramophone's Recording of the Year in 1979, nor that it's listed as one of the top 100 classical music recordings of all time

The set roughly divides into 3 groups of 3 CDs each.

The first group includes pre-1780's material; these are basically accompanied piano sonatas. The next group includes the 1780's trios; now the violin is getting some independence. [The cello is pretty-much locked to the piano bass throughout.] The final group is the 1790's trios: now there is a real conversation between piano and violin. As a group, they are simply brilliant, especially the slow movements.

The Beaux Arts Trio's performance is first rate, and the recording quality is excellent. I admit to being a piano trio fan, and in my view these surpass Beethoven's and equal the best from Mozart and Schubert (albeit in a different style). My modest CD collection contains pretty much all of the chamber music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, but this set is definitely the pick of the litter for enjoyable evening listening.

All too often, among the great triumvirate of High Classical composers, Haydn is given short-shrift, and many who love Mozart and Beethoven often know almost nothing of Haydn's music. Perhaps the "jolly Papa Haydn" image gets in the way. But Haydn is the true peer of his two younger disciples, as they themselves would have affirmed. And indeed did affirm-- Mozart quite openly and Beethoven, during his youth, grudgingly (though in later life his appreciation of his old master was expressed much more freely). Even Haydn lovers often know only the symphonies, string quartets, oratorios, a piano sonata or two, and the Trumpet concerto. What a revelation then are these trios! As the Amazon reviewer pointed out, the role of the cello is to enrich the bass line (though it also sings at times with the violin); the combination gave a tonal palette with which Haydn's incredibly fertile invention ran rampant! Even the early trios are delightful; and the later ones are often unqualified masterpieces. The well-known Gypsy rondo, for example, is boisterous Haydn at his best; the wonderful C Major Trio, Hoboken 27, ends with a sonata-allegro finale of dazzling virtuosity, including a thrilling development section; Hoboken 28 in E Major is outstanding in many ways -- the piano in the first movement mimicking the pizzicato in the strings; the second movement is truly remarkable: a chaconne or passacaglia (a Baroque form) yet displaying Classical period melodic and tonal structure, and finally a prescience of Romantic period climax. It is dark and haunting and altogether original. And at the end of the carefree finale, there is a reminiscence of this passacaglia-- years before Beethoven's Fifth or Ninth symphonies made the procedure mainstream. The trios are remarkably individuated and always engaging. And this recording! Magisterial. The rich tones of the instruments fit the music beautifully. Other trios have tried it since but none have equalled, let alone surpassed this recording. (People addicted to the acidic and grating sound of "period" performances may balk, but if Haydn himself were here to choose I think he'd choose this record hands down!) The Penguin Guide beautfifully summed up this 9-disc set: "Here is music that is sane and intelligent; a balm to the spirit in a troubled world." And "Not may recordings can be hailed as a classic in the sense of the Schnabel recordings of the Beethoven sonatas -- this can." If you love the Classic period, if you love chamber music, if you love beautiful music in general, this will be a wonderful acquisition!

There is no doubt that The Beaux Arts Trio was on their zenith in these beautiful performance. Each work was played in a stunning beautiful tone and stunning good interpretation; mellifluent and blissful. Although the happy and healthy atmosphere of Haydn's work prevailed everywhere, their score reading were still very careful, fresh and clear. Tempo, style and dynamic were all very natural. These 3 excellent musicians cooperated so well that I wonder could any other Trio surpass these performances.

There are times - even for the most engaged classical fan - when the denser textures or sudden changes in dynamics of a symphony, concerto or even string quartet cannot quite be processed, but still the musical-person-within desires to hear great music. Well, for those times - such as a cozy Sunday afternoon reading on the couch - Haydn's piano trios are the perfect prescription for musical bliss and contentment. And while these trios are lighter in character and texture, they are definately not monotonous, run-of-the-mill divertimenti but rather quite musically intelligent compositions which are exceedingly pleasant, full of exuberance, rich in invention and always in good Haydn taste.

Haydn's Piano Trios is an abundant, marvelous cache of chamber music to explore. Many are similar in mood and interplay to Mozart's sprightly Piano Trios, while some movements of the late works forshadow Beethoven's expressivity. Haydn's piano trios never cease to delight with their classical balance, lightness-of-heart, bubbly joy and smooth textures. One reason for such a proliferation of works in the piano-trio genre in Haydn's time is that the home market for such compositions was exploding in mid-18th century with seemingly every middle to upper class household now owning this new, must-have musical instrument - the clavier.

The Beaux Arts Trio do great justice to this works and show they really care and enjoy Haydn's music. The artistry, performance and sound quality of these recordings are superb on all levels which is probably why this set won the impressive awards of "Top CD of the Year" and a "Top 100 Recording" from Gramophone - the latter being a supreme compliment. The crisp, dancing piano tempos from pianist Menahem Pressler in these trios are energetic, sure-footed and delightful, while the two strings bring a rich tonality and elegant mannerism that is most fitting for this genre and period. As a whole, the Beaux Arts Trio exhibits the kind of natural, seamless musicianship that comes through years of playing together. Their playing and this CD show classical-era chamber music at its finest, and "legendary" would not be an out-of-place description of this fine trio. As of 2005, the trio is now in its 50th year with original member pianist Menahem Pressler still going strong. All of their recordings still decades later are among the top positions in the ratings in spite of much fine competition (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms piano trios). I would say the Haydn Piano Trios are just as enjoyable and musically rich than their Mozart and Beethoven recordings. I would not be without one set.

For all these reasons, these most-admirable recordings are some of my most frquently played discs in all my collection (I play music all day while studying or working). Others note this "ever-fresh" appeal that allows lots of play before any weariness sets in. So, the quality of recordings, beautiful slim packaging, decent liner notes and exceptional value all combine to make this set a compelling investment for the chamber-music lover. And if you think 9 CD's of piano trios are a lot, consider it a lifetime investment and exploration.

I have arrived at the view that Haydn is for the musically more mature; this is after nearly sixty years of avoiding him - I have come to regret the wasting of so much time!

Like many people, I have considered Haydn principally in terms of his "thousands" of symphonies and felt the title "Papa" probably apposite. However, having spent an increasing amount of time in getting to know his chamber works, I have altered my opinions dramatically and have long since thought Schumann's judgment facile and ungrateful.

Haydn shared a few years of the middle of the 18th. century with Bach and given his following so closely upon the heels of the Barok, his music is astonishingly innovative and I think he receives far too little credit for the pioneering work he did. His string quartets truly are of the first order and given that he "invented" the genre, extraordinarily forward and musically developed. Mozart did nothing to advance the form which Haydn left as a wonderful foundation upon which Beethoven and Schubert could build.

Whilst many of the quartets have a certain cerebral aspect to them, the piano trios do not. Not because of any lack of inventiveness on the part of the composer but due to their being intended for a larger and different audience to whom Haydn's publishers might sell a lot of sheet music; it should be remembered that Haydn was widely known and popular from Italy to Sweden. There is no hint of "commercialism" in these works however.

This complete set of piano trios has a strong homogeneity; they all fit together well and balance nicely. A quirky exception here is the very individual E major Allegretto (Hob.XV:28) heralding a chorale prelude and later suggesting that we are in for a three part fugue. No chorale, no fugue. Another of Haydn's witticisms perhaps?

The Beaux Arts' readings are "safe" and I have no quibble with this. Another reviewer has found them "bland" but with this I do not agree. Frankly, I think it difficult to make a proper judgment because, as has been pointed out elsewhere, the strings are not at all well recorded and for much of the time the pieces sound like a piano sonata with occasional string accompaniment.

This situation is less annoying than it otherwise might be as the piano really has a stand-alone part and the overall nature of the works is surprisingly undiminished in the apparent absence of the strings. In any event, the violin and more particularly the 'cello whose principal function was to bolster the rather fragile bass of the early Viennese fortepiano, don't have much to say that is of great musical consequence. To a degree, this "imbalance" is characteristic of the trio form as it was employed by Mozart, Beethoven and others; it was well into the nineteenth century before Mendelssohn distributed the musical parts more evenly but a contrived imbalance of musical composition is one thing - that of shortcomings of recording quality is quite another. The "solo" nature of the piano in this instance merely serves to demonstrate what an unusually fine pianist Menahem Pressler is. In other respects the recording is very good.

These trios are immensely satisfying, partly due to their delightful nature and partly because they don't demand much in the way of intellectual involvement from the listener. I should like to have awarded five stars; generally, the set deserves them but I feel some penalty has to be imposed in respect of the poor microphone balance. Musically, this collection is a superbly performed joy and others surely will share my delight in it.

These are among the most beautiful and satisfying CDs that I own. The performances are nothing short of sublime, and preserve the essence of the best years of the Beaux Arts Trio. The recordings themselves are balanced and have both warmth and intimacy. While the trios themselves do not have the same depth as Haydn't finest quartets, they are superb in their own right. These discs would be high on the list of my desert-isle collection.

This recording of Haydn's Piano Trios by the Beaux Arts Trio must surely rank as one of the most outstanding recording cycles ever made. Such a statement, perhaps absurd at face value, is easily understood once you've sat down and listened to the first two or three disks in the set. The intense beauty and the powerful emotion of Haydn's piano trios simply pours forth and even oozes out right from the onset of disk 1 track 1 and doesn't stop until the last disk is played. The music is so hauntingly beautiful and superbly performed that nearly anyone - even those without a background in classical music - can almost immediately be drawn into the lyrical world inhabited that "Papa Haydn" creates for us. Look at the words chosen by some of the reviewers here: "treasure," "classic," "pick of the litter," "beautiful," "delightful," "gems," and on and on, and you'll see this is the nearly uniform judgment of an entire group of listeners.

I purchased this set at the FNAC in Paris during a trip back in 2005, and must confess that I was simply picking up the set of nine disks because I thought it a good addition to a classical library. Goodness, was I ever surprised beyond expectations when I started listening to the recording. This is music in superb form, beautifully and lovingly crafted by a master composer, and then executed with style and warmth by performers who not only are experts at their craft, but deeply understanding of what Papa Haydn himself wished to convey through these works. Astonished as I was with disk one, I knew this feeling was unlikely to be sustained through the next eight disks, and, of course, you can guess the rest of the story: I quickly found that the power and emotion of the start is held throughout the entire series.

Haydn, like Handel, is often overlooked in today's classical world. If you've ever heard someone say something to the effect of "If you've heard one Haydn piece, you've heard them all," here is a set that will dash such views. In fact, to go through these pieces over and over is to help one understand the true genius of Haydn, a person who executed his skills without pompousness or showmanship, but through sublime creativity, bursting forth like new flowers on a wet, sunny morning. The Beaux Arts Trio takes these pieces and then makes them their own, and we, the listeners, are the ones who benefit from the association.

Make no doubt about it, this is one of the most brilliant and lovely set of recordings you are likely ever to hear. This set was recorded in the 1970's, you say? You'd never know it. It sounds as good - or better - than any digital recording of the past few years. It is the rarest of occurrences to come across a recording where such superb results are achieved, but here it is, all tied up in a little package. This is a set to treasure, but also to explore and study. It will keep you busy for a long time, and you'll probably savor every minute of it.

If a Haydn or Mozart Symphony seems tame beside one by Beethoven, relax and listen to these great trios, which can give as musc pleasure as any chamber music can, and you don't have to be an aficionado of this composer or of chamber music. I have been looking for this music for years to complete the ones I have, and to have it all in one small box is pure bliss. Go for it: this is the best of classical music, until someone records it all on original instruments.

The Beaux Arts Trio, as always, performs well enough to win an award with these trios. The works are so tuneful that I frequently found myself walking around the house humming the tunes after hearing a quartet for the first time.

This music is also wonderful to listen to while doing desk work or reading. You'll not be disappointed.