Customer Reviews

Hummel: Piano Trio Nos. 1, 5 & 7

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

 

 

I made Hummel's aquaintance two and a half years ago, through the recommendation of a friend. At first, I did not expect much from him... I never heard of him before! So you could imagine how surprised I was when I first heard his piano quintet, which is a masterpiece of solid craftsmenship and genius wit. (and a good dose of bohemian wildness!)

Since then, I had been mainly listening to his piano concertos, which are simply brilliant. Very late I came to listen to his piano trios, although I did not like chamber music in general.

Hummel's piano trios, especially the version interpreted by the Borodin Trio, are simply heavenly fun. I did not understand Chamber music until I heard these, and they are an eye openner! Since then, I had heard more of Hummel's chamber music, including violin sonatas and cello sonatas. I would heartily recomment Hummel to anyone, and these three trios are perfect to start with. Once you start listening, you will not be able to stop. Hummel makes the most naive and innocent melodies into the most intricate pieces of music ever heard, and always sophisticated with a warm heart.

I'm a pretty easy grader, usually giving 5 stars to stuff I like. Being a fan of Hummel's music, it is easy for me to like this CD. Hummel has elements of Mozart and Beethoven in his music, pretty good elements to have! He has Mozart's fluidity and sometimes that delicate and etherial element that seduces many a Mozart listener. Hummel also has a measure of Beethovenian boldness and swagger that can bowl over even the most resistant listener. Of course Hummel has his own personality and style but since he isn't that well known, it helps in describing his music to pick out influences and gestures that can be identified with more well known composers. That being said, getting back to the rating. Why 4 stars and not 5? The performance has some lapses and a bit too much looseness that is apparent at times. One especially obvious boo-boo comes at the end of the slow movement of the 2nd work on the CD, Piano Trio #5. The intonation at that point is frankly, pretty bad. That is not the only time this happens either. The slow movement of #7 has shaky intonation in even more spots although not quite as apparent as the afforementioned ending of #5. I get the impression more rehearsal would have benefitted the performance. I get the sense of a bit of tentativeness, the kind you get when musicians are still "reading" the score rather than "knowing" it. When everyone really knows it, they can concentrate on making beautiful music together rather than just matching up the individual parts in reasonable tempo.

Nevertheless, this music has enough charm and these musicians have enough talent and experience that overall this is still winning. It is just that if you are expecting world shaking communion among the musicians, or faultless playing you will likely have some disappointment. I can live with the shortcomings because they are minor and not enough to derail this lively and creative music. In the interest of truth and honesty, I felt it is most fair to tell it as I hear it and then the potential buyer can take it under advisement. If you like Hummel's style or early Romantic period music, I think you will find this music charming and absorbing. I also think you should shop around a bit and check out the competition because this likely is not the definitive last word on these interesting trios.