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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Musicianship over Salesmanship, January 22, 2001
The Eroica Trio's new CD Pasion has photos of the beautiful women performers in color coordinated outfits, leather pants or gorgeous gowns, cleavage, and credits in the CD booklet for hair and makeup--it sounds all too familiar in this day and age when marketing sex appeal has become a major influence in the world of Classical music. And I have to admit that I am a bit skeptical about the trio's name, given that they are not known for playing Beethoven--he of the Eroica Symphony and the Eroica Variations. There is only one letter's difference between the words Eroica and Erotica; and the cynic in me wonders if some subliminal message isn't being sent us. But no, even though the performers are visually delightful and the CD is called Pasion, these musicians are supremely talented, with very distinguished musical pedigrees. Here we have an example of marketing in the service of a very fine product indeed, and there is no sense that the salesmanship gets in the way of the musicianship. The trio's technique is superb--their ensemble playing is wonderful, with an extremely accurate sense of rhythm, and a verve that is simply thrilling to hear. The members of the trio, Erika Nickrenz, piano, Adela Pena, violin, and Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello, met at the Juilliard School of Music and have been playing together now for fifteen years, and this maturity as a group is evident in their performance. The CD works very well as a unified program of latin music. In addition to works by Villa-Lobos and Brazilian composer Penaforte (whose very engaging composition "An Eroica Trio" was written specifically for the group), we are treated to Joaquin Turina's First Trio, and four short movements by Astor Piazzolla. Piazzolla, an Argentinian composer whose music has become increasingly popular, may be known to classical music lovers from Gidon Kremer's CD The 8 Seasons, in which Kremer alternated Vivaldi's Four Seasons with arrangements of Piazzolla's 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires. The Eroica Trio brings us two of the four seasons, Spring and Autumn, in arrangements for piano trio made by Piazzolla's cellist, Jose Bragato. Although their tempi are a bit slower and their interpretation somewhat less aggressive than either Piazzolla or Kremer's, the Eroica present a convincing rendition of the works, one which is more sensuous and subtle. Turina's trio, on the other hand, is by turns forceful, tender, despairing, and dazzling, and the finale takes off like a wildfire. It is a pity that Turina's music is not more well-known; he certainly deserves it. All of the pieces on this disc are well worth a listen--I highly recommend it.
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