Composer: Anton Arensky, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Performer: Trio Wanderer
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Catalogue: HMC902161
Release: 2013
Size: 293 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Arensky: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32
01. I. Allegro moderato
02. II. Scherzo: Allegro molto
03. III. Elegia. Adagio
04. IV. Finale. Allegro non troppo
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 ‘In Memory of a Great Artist’
05. I. Pezzo elegiaco. Moderato assai
06. II A. Tema con Variazioni. Andante con moto
07. Var. I
08. Var. II. Più mosso
09. Var. III. Allegro moderato
10. Var. IV. L’istesso tempo
11. Var. V. L’istesso tempo
12. Var. VI. Tempo di Valse
13. Var. VII. Allegro moderato
14. Var. VIII. Fuga. Allegro moderato
15. Var. IX. Andante flebile ma non tanto
16. Var. X. Tempo di Mazurka
17. Var. XI. Moderato
18. II B. Variazione Finale e Coda. Allegro risoluto e con fuoco – Andante con moto
Tchaikovsky’s celebrated large-scale Trio Op.50 sets the tone of this recording, at once elegiac and virtuosic. Dedicated to his friend Nikolay Rubinstein with the French epigraph ‘À la mémoire d’un grand artiste’, it shows great originality both in its dimensions and in its style, which calls for highly skilled performers. A similarly ambitious work is the Trio Op.32 of Anton Stepanovich Arensky, also dedicated to the memory of a musician, the cellist Karl Davidov (1838-89). This gem of chamber music, much less often played, constitutes the true discovery of the programme. The Trio Wanderer celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012. Feted by the international press for its extraordinarily sensitive playing, its almost telepathic complicity, and its complete instrumental mastery, the Trio Wanderer is one of the finest chamber music formations in the world today. Dubbed ‘Wandering Star’ by The Strad magazine, it is invited to appear in the most prestigious concert series and at the leading festivals. Since 1999 the trio have recorded for harmonia mundi: 13 recordings have appeared so far, repeatedly winning awards from the critics (Choc de l’Année in Le Monde de la Musique, Critics’ Choice in Gramophone, CD des Monats in Fono Forum, CD of the Month in BBC Music Magazine, Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Midem Classical Award). The group’s recent interpretation of the Mendelssohn trios was chosen as the benchmark version by the New York Times.