Eroica Trio

Sara Sant'Ambrogio (Performer), George Gershwin (Composer), Benjamin Godard (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Paul Schoenfield (Composer), Eroica Trio (Performer), Erika Nickrenz (Performer), Adela Pena (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Sara Sant'Ambrogio, Eroica Trio, Erika Nickrenz, Adela Pena
• Composer: George Gershwin, Benjamin Godard, Maurice Ravel, Paul Schoenfield
• Audio CD (October 21, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000002RZ6
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,643 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Spirited in fast music, but WARNING: aimless in slow music, June 28, 2000

By	Bradley P. Lehman (Dayton, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I haven't been exposed to any of the radio and TV hype about the Eroica Trio. Neither have I heard any of their concerts yet. The only hype I've _seen_ is looking through some of the fan web sites today, and reading reviews here at Amazon. I have not heard their two subsequent discs yet, either. So, I'm reviewing only on the basis of what I hear and see on this debut CD.

I bought this disc mainly to hear their rendition of the Ravel Trio, and because the Schoenfield piece looked like fun. The Ravel is, unfortunately, a major disappointment here. I have four other CD's of this wonderful piece, and by comparison all four hold the composition together better than the Eroica Trio does. The Eroica do not give much flowing forward motion to the music, nor do they make the structure clear; instead, they bog down in sweet sounds that quickly become uninteresting (not going anywhere). The mind wanders. The piece seems interminably long and incoherent. The fast portions are OK but nothing special, and the slow sections just get soggy.

Some of this shows up in the movement timings, too. Rubinstein/Heifetz/Piatigorsky: 8'30",4'05",6'25",5'16". Previn/Rosenfeld/Hoffman: 9'40",4'04",7'18",5'30". Trio Fontenay: 9'31",4'27",6'37",5'37". Rouvier/Kantorow/Muller (the "Un coeur en hiver" soundtrack): 9'04",3'59",7'34",5'12". The Eroica Trio: 10'10",4'08",9'31",5'12". That is, the Eroica take the first and third movements down to a deadly crawl, dissipating most of the tension in the music. And then the slow motion drags even slower....

I have nothing against slow tempos in general, as long as they have enough focus, intensity, interest, and direction. Not here. This disc illustrates very well the principle that the most difficult music to play well is slow music. Non-musicians tend not to think of that, perhaps being wowed by "virtuosity" and flash, but experienced musicians know it to be true. And here's an excellent exhibit in support of it. I fail to understand how this CD got a Grammy nomination for best chamber music performance. Perhaps these performers give a good show live, and perhaps the visual elements of their performances help the cause, but the evidence is not on this recording.

This CD is probably worth having anyway for the Schoenfield "Cafe Music" and the bizarre arrangements of Gershwin's three preludes. Those are not available elsewhere, and are entertaining enough. The Godard "Berceuse" is as unengaging as the slow parts of the Ravel trio are: again the Eroica players seem content merely with making pretty sounds, while the music doesn't go much of anywhere. BOR-ing. The Schoenfield is clever, and especially interesting in the fast parts, but (once again) the slow music is not well served by the performance.

Obviously, some of the appeal of this trio is the way these women look in their designer "styling" (credited in the CD booklet!). Indeed, they probably could be models if they were not musicians; their physical appearance is right in line with the cultural standard notions of beauty. This CD includes three glamourous full-color photographs. The eye-candy appeal might be another incentive to buy this disc. It really depends if you're seeking great musical performances, or stereotypical good looks. When the CD is in the player, it does not matter how the performers look....

After listening to this disc and forming my opinions above, I looked up the _American Record Guide_ review of this disc: March/April 1998, p240. I'm pleased to see that the reviewer there didn't like this disc any more than I did. (It's not just me being cranky.) Same reasons: the deadly lack of interest in the slow parts. But that reviewer didn't like the Gershwin or Schoenfield either. I'm a bit more charitable than that.

To sum up: all the notes are in place, as neatly placed and as surface-pretty as the mascara and dresses and smiles. The recorded sound is excellent, as is usual from producer Joanna Nickrenz (the Eroica pianist's mother). But the musical performances ultimately aren't engaging enough. This is a CD to pull off the shelf occasionally for the novelty of the Schoenfield, the Gershwin, and the glamourous trio photos. That hardly justifies a full-price purchase.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD for those not too acquainted with classical music, September 15, 2008

By	Sylvia Sterling (Washington State) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Love this CD. The Gershwin arranged for string trio is outstanding.
This is one of the rare recordings of "Cafe Music" A truly fun , interesting
and exciting piece.... the slow movement is SO beautiful, it is to die for
and the fast movements are at breakneck speed. These girls really
can play ! !

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous music, gorgeous musicians, October 4, 2009

By	Wayne J. Guglielmo (Mahwah, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I principally bought this first of the Eroica Trio's CDs (1997) because of the inclusion of Paul Schoenfield's Cafe Music, which is an absolutely wonderful piece of music, in particular the second or Rubato movement. But the Trio sparkles all though the CD, from the opening Gershwin preludes, through the Ravel Piano Trio and Godard's Berceuse, and finally to the little heard Schoenfield piece. Great fun!