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Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Trio for Piano, Violin and Violoncello No.2 in E minor op.67
Peter Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Peter KIESEWETTER (b. 1945) |
'Live' recording. This recording is dedicated by Martha Agerich, Gidon Kremer and Mischa Maisky to Reinhard Paulsen, a dear friend whose life touched each of theirs.
Martha Argerich piano
Gidon Kremer violin
Mischa Maisky violoncello
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 459 326-2
[79:21] full-price
by Adrian Tan
Only few recordings are marked to join the ranks of the immortals from their conception. The partnering of great artists is not always the recipe for a revelatory performance, though it often means a bestseller. When the magic does happen though, we get the stuff of legend.
Argerich, Kremer and Maisky have individually achieved greatness as performers in their lifetimes. Each is renowned for deep artistic integrity, first-class musicianship and displays a true passion for their art. Argerich has partnered Kremer and Maisky in Beethoven sonatas with varying degrees of critical success; but in this reviewer's opinion, each and every one of those performances deserve a hearing for never are these musicians satisfied with an account of the notes on the page. I may not have agreed with every performance I've had the chance to listen to, but I never went away gaining no insight into the music. The three also happen to be great friends in real life, the warmth of their relationship certainly transcends to their music-making. Dedicated to Reinhard Paulsen, Argerich and Kremer's manager for many years, this is a tribute to the man who really wanted this trio to happen. A touching personal touch and insight to the lives of those we like to put on a pedestal. I really appreciate that.
The gathering of 'Le Trio de Choc' (the trio of shock) was no easy task. A candid article in the liner notes tell of the aborted attempts: a Beethoven Triple Concerto in 1985 with Leonard Bernstein cancelled due to lack of rehearsal time and a European concert tour in 1996 that Argerich had to pull out of due to serious medical reasons.
The performance on this recording was indirectly a result of that one show, with great credit to Argerich's Japanese manager who planned the Japan concerts at the last minute capitalizing on the sudden opportunity that presented itself. The result: this documentation of those fabulous performances 'live' in Japan and of the trio performing together, with the chance that it might become the first and only).
I don't think I would have ever picked up a disc of these trios if not for the assembling of these 3 artists. I admit that I only found out what pieces they were playing AFTER I got home. I soon found out that these are indeed gems of chamber music that deserve a hearing.
The Shostakovich trio begins with a bleak violin solo, as though melancholic reminiscence, later joined by the soulful entrance of the cello and the ominous low registers of the piano. The Trio captures the mood acutely and feelingly, allowing themselves to sound stark before the sound blossoms into a dance-like figure. To hear each line played with such commitment and character make for a deeply satisfying performance of a rather anarchic sounding movement.
The final movement begins a little humorously with the three fooling around with a Jewish theme, on which they apply gravity and light-heartedness with equal ease. At times, they give a touch of that violence that is often a character of Shostakovich's music but holding back till the end of the last movement where they culminate in a terse apotheosis that refuses to relent for the longest time.
In the penultimate movement, there are resting points when the same devices that sounded cheeky before in the beginning of the movement sounds almost sinister. The music ends quietly, in a rather unsatisfying resolution, leaving a rather bitter taste in the mouth. Of all the words written about the kind of feelings this composer must have felt all his life, I think this trio has given us a taste.
Having said that, this long piece that lasts almost 45 minutes are not short of places for the other two soloists to show off. The first movement is quite dense in terms of development but serves as a contrast to the Shostakovich for its Romantic and melodic nature. The bleak sound has changed to encompass that need for lush qualities, the impassioned rushes are replaced by sweet phrases and long, expressive lines. Each of the variations on the theme are gems in themselves, taking the different characters like a music box (no. 5), a fugue (no. 8) or a mazurka (no. 10). The Variazone finale in full sonata form harks back to the earlier movement, in a work that achieves an almost symphonic nature with just three instruments.
Lastly, one of the real treats in this recording must be the encore piece, which apparently drove the crowd wild in Japan. I don't know if there was ever a recording of Kiesewetter's "Tango Pathétique" but I'm sure glad I heard it here. This funny little piece quotes memorable themes from Tchaikovsky violin concerto, 'rococo' variations and Sixth Symphony in a quirky tango. 'Nuff said, hearing the 3 have fun with this is almost worth the price of the recording!
In the summer of 1997, the trio performed the Shostakovich at the Verbier Festival and Academy in an "unprecedented encounter series" with Argerich battling a serious illness, Kremer (right) flying in by helicopter from another engagement and luckily avoiding a heavy downpour that threatened to ruin everything at the last minute.
The Allegro con brio packs a virtuosic punch, more impressive is how the feel changes with great understanding. This short tuneful scherzo is followed by heavy, crashing chords from the piano that is repeated six times, a bleak landscape on which Maisky and Kremer intertwine the musical grief that is in the heart of this work. Maisky excels here in a deeply personal rendition of his part, this is a quality of his music that always manages to grip me. Kremer is also truly sympathetic, providing a rough edge to his sound that is absolutely right for this music.
Martha Argerich's part in the Shostakovich was less meaty than her partners'; it is in the Tchaikovsky that she displays her prowess. She had learnt the piece especially for this performance, and has this to say about it: "It is extremely difficult! It is like a concerto!" Then, listen to how she sails through it in tracks with great artistry in especially tracks 7, 10, 12, 17, 20… Her gift is to make everything sound so effortless, and in her ability to conjure the most delicate as well as the most forceful of sounds from her instrument.
It took Adrian Tan more time to think of this smart alecky line than to write this entire review.
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674: 17.2.2000 ©Adrian Tan
Readers' Comments
From: Bernard Chasan (bc@buphyc.bu.edu / Sunday, March 19, 2000 at 09:20:07)
This is one of the great "war" pieces in the literature. It is a moving piece of music, and thae Jewish theme of the last movement may be light but it is hard to think of it as anything but a defiant and affirmation.I think that maybe the reviewer was a bit too dazzled by the performers. Finem but the music is great too .[Thanks for posting a comment on my review! You're right to say that I was perhaps more dazzled by the personalities and the musicianship of the performers. I did mention in the review that if not for them, I would never have bought a CD of Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky Trios. I'm very grateful that I did, as I have come to like the music very much as it is very moving indeed. I hope that many readers will be persuaded by this review to pick up this disc. - Adrian]