Customer Reviews

Vivaldi/JS Bach/Buxtehude/Albinoni/Lotti/Loeillet: Baroque Chamber Music

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This trio has reached the summit of musical excellence! They play with fire and passion. This is not a stuffy period performance, but a full-blown romantic performance that succeeds in making this Baroque music a joy to listen to.

Each selection they chose is a delightful Baroque work. They play them with conviction as if they've played them all their lifes. I suspect that these ladies must be able to read each others minds- because they seem to know how each other plays instinctively. It all comes together and 'gels' like it should.

As wonderfull as these works are- this album contains a showpiece that only the best virtuoso musicians dare to play. The mind-blowing Bach Chaconne (from BWV 1004)!

Award-winning composer Anne Dudley's has transcribed Bach's masterpiece for piano trio. And, it's fantastic. This work of Bach is probably the greatest single composition of all time. In this one incredible piece of music, just over 14 minutes, Bach takes you on a wounderous spiritual and life enriching journey.

Nothing in Bach's music is lost in this transcription. In fact, harmonies and melodies are superbly worked out by Dudley. It's a mystery why Beethoven or Brahms never transcribed the piece for piano trio. It works. You'll hear how beautifully the cello and violin interact and 'share' the melody in a very beautiful and natural manner. As if Bach had written it this way for trio. It's that natural. With 34 variations in the work, a single, solo instrument (as often recorded) presents a real challange in creating enough tone colors to prevent loss of interest. But, with three instruments as presented here, they provide a wide variety of tone colors that Dudley has taken advantage of masterfully, providing an almost kalidescopic wonder of colors and tones. Every romantic 'trick' seems to be used, but it's never gimmicky.

What is Bach saying to us in the Chaconne? I don't know for sure. But I do know it's something worth trying to discover. Will the wonder of Bach ever cease? This I do know. Never.

Thankyou trio, for choosing to play this work. My vote for classical album of the year.

Mike

I'll be honest... I wouldn't ask any of these three musicians to make cd of them playing alone. But together, they are incredible! I heard the Chaconne on the Radio about a year ago, and I have spent the interim looking for this cd. If you like Baroque Chamber music, this is definitely a must have for your collection. And if you haven't heard the Anne Dudley arrangement of the Chaconne, you are missing out on a spectacular version of that piece. It's the best I've heard (of all of the millions of arrangements).

I'm in concurrence for the most part with the review by Edith Eisler. However, I must take exception to the distain she (and some others) have heaped upon this arrangement of Bach's Chaconne. I just flat-out disaggree. This a sincere, powerful and effective transcription of this work, and does it great justice. It's quite closely related to the piano version of Busoni, and equally gripping. My only perhaps critical comment would pertain to a balance which at times seems weighted too much away from the pianist's contribution.

I heard the Eroica Trio interviewed on NPR, and was impressed by their intelligence, creativity, and enthusiasm for their music. They have successfully undertaken the daunting task of transcribing for piano, violin, and cello, and their foresight and unity shines through. We've all heard Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor a zillion times, but to hear it from these three, after riding Eroica's rollercoaster of energy--abundant highs and lows--it's enough to cause goosebumps. While some of the playing is quite possibly too exuberant and emotional, in this case that is precisely what grabs one's attention and stirs the soul. Plus, we are given a fine balance with the adagios and transitions. (Bach's Chaconne is a perfect example of both the power and gracefulness offered on this album.) The interplay between the three instruments is fascinating to experience, but the musicians stand as soloists as well.

The women of Eroica are undoubtedly beautiful, and the marketeers are certainly capitalizing on their glamour (no worse than Anne-Sophie Mutter or Ofra Harnoy, though!). But their talent is what matters here, and there's no shortage of that. This is a fine collection of chamber music, and a feast for one's soul.

My knowledge of classical performance is limited indeed; yet from the moment that I stumbled upon the Eroica Trio I was aware that this ensemble was special. To those, like myself, who love beautiful music but are not sure where to begin, I say that this recording is simply magical.

The Eroica Trio breathes new life into Baroque music. The arrangement is eloquent and played with empowering heart felt passion. Highly recommended!

This cd is very awesome. It just makes your jaws drop, and want to make you listen to it again and again. You wouldn't be able to listen to this as backgroud music-because it captures you, and you have to listen to it.

This is one of the few classical CDs I have that I can listen to over and over again. I love it and think it is fantastic. Anyone who likes classical music but doesn't always feel inclined to listen to it should buy this. It's wonderful.

I'll join those who are more favorable about this disc than Edith Eisler. I agree that this is certainly an unconventional approach to Baroque material, but the results are wonderful -- very lush and expressive. The eminent Ms. Eisler expresses an opinion that is not strictly musical concerning the CD's packaging. Query whether this opinion colored her view of the music.

I heard the trio in person in Washington--they were awesome. This CD may not be the most "baroque" of CDs, but it's very, very lovely. Yes, they had to adapt the music to a trio & for their instruments. Somehow, I think that's been done before--again, & again...So, I'm not a purist. Interestingly, the Albinoni Adagio (a very famous piece indeed) was not (according to the accompanying booklet) really his--but mostly the work of his biographer Remo Giazotto. I have 3 other recordings of it, & I like this one best. Richard Kapp's "Greatest Hits of 1720" (B00000258Y) is 10:17 minutes long but elegant; Essential Classics' "Baroque Masterpieces" (B00005YQL6) is 8:24; & "The Best of the Eroica Trio" (B0006SSOQS) is 6:57. This version is 6:58. Quite a variety! The "new setting, devised by the group's members" works for me. I only wish they'd try some Telemann & maybe Handel! I like this CD better than "The Best of the Eroica Trio" probably because I like Baroque.