Customer Reviews

Schifrin/Schuller/Shapiro: Piano Trios

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

 

 

I was very taken with this CD. The Eaken Piano Trio plays well, and the sound is reasonably well balanced if somewhat cramped. The real find is the Shapiro trio. I have never experienced his music before, but it is really deserving of wide circulation. The approach is modernist, yet the piece is filled with good tunes and solid construction. I assure you that once you hear it, you never will believe that such a fine work is so little known. The other two works are well worth a listen. Schifrin's trio is well argued from the standpoint of a Ravelian aesthetic, with interesting rifts. Schuller's piece is more accessible that much of his music, with some wonderfully jazzy parts. So, if you like to explore unusual chamber music, this is a splendid album to treat yourself to.

So I have to review this because Gerald Shapiro is my composition teacher, and more people ought to listen to his music. He is a very good composer, and this trio is one of his best works. It reflects a style born out of his serialist training, his involvment with the avant-garde during the heydey of minimalism and early electronic music, but also reflects the influence of everything from Bach to Jazz. Shapiro is not afraid to write expressive music with lyrical material, but as he said when showing this piece to our comp seminar, he makes the listener work for that lyricism, and this piece contains its share of crunchy dissonance and sharp rhythms. Of the other two trios on this disc, I found the Schifrin to be a little anemic in places, although the third movement has some lovely moments. Gunther Schuller's piece is much less accessible. Nevertheless all the pieces are played superbly by the Eakin trio. At this price, it's worth it just for the Shapiro piece.

Esta producción del interesantísimo Trio Eacken, que cuenta con exelentes intérpretes, nos traen tres trios de los compositores Lalo Schifrin, Gunther Schuller y Gerald Shapiro.
Lalo Schifrin - conocido por sus trabajos en el campo del soundtrack para cine, series de TV y del jazz - nos deja este trio llamado "Hommage à Ravel" con un lenguaje académico muy intenso y con gran riqueza de instrumentación donde el lenguaje popular se entremezcla con las ricas armonias de la música clásica contemporanea. Este trabajo nos trae a remembranza un trabajo similar para Septeto de otro gran compositor del jazz como es Chick Corea.
Gunther Schuller es más atrevido en su lenguaje ya que este nos presenta su composición en un lenguaje dodecafónico y casi "filosófico" con influencias de la escuela de Viena con Webern y Berg. El tercer movimiento es muy interesante donde combina el estilo "swing" del jazz con las áspera armonias contemporaneas.
El trio de Gerald Shapiro es realmente muy hermoso y evocativo con reflejos post impresionistas, una verdadera joya de la música de cámara.
Excelente interpretación.