082 CD / Schubert. Piano Trios Vol. 1

Abegg Trio Series Vol. X

Schubert
Piano Trios

Piano Trio in B flat major op. 99 D 898
Notturno E flat major op. posth. 148 D 897
Abegg Trio

EAN/barcode: 4009850008200

Description

"My disc of the year" (Professor Joachim Kaiser)

3 reviews for 082 CD / Schubert. Piano Trios Vol. 1

  1. Fono Forum

    One can hardly believe it: for twenty years now, pianist Gerrit Zitterbart, violinist Ulrich Beetz, and cellist Birgit Erichson have been performing together—and the name Abegg Trio has long since become a hallmark of the highest standards and exceptional quality. Rightfully so: this Schubert CD further confirms the outstanding reputation the ensemble has earned since its first recording in 1982. Their ensemble playing is of a homogeneity that is hard to surpass. Every detail seems to be interpreted and shaped with meticulous precision in terms of phrasing and tempo; over the years, a rare unity has clearly developed among these three individual musicians. And they perform Schubert with convincing naturalness. Rarely do introductory texts and interpretations align as well as they do in this new production. In his particularly stimulating essay, Jan Reichow mocks the fashionable mania of our time to interpret every triple meter in Schubert as a dance on thin ice and every modulation to the minor third as an abyss of mortal premonition. Instead, he points to the joy, melodic bliss, and beauty that Schubert’s music also contains. And so, the Abegg musicians focus above all on the poetry in Schubert’s works. Even the main theme of the B-flat Trio exudes intimacy and longing, immediately evoking a sense of Romanticism. However, this does not mean that the Abegg interpretations are sentimental or kitschy. On the contrary: the musicians approach the music with extreme sensitivity, care, and delicacy—it is the fine nuances that bring the music to life here. The descending tremolo triplets in the Rondo flutter by like ghostly, pale shadows. And the Notturno is rendered dreamily beautiful—before the triumphant E-major and C-major bursts of light break through. If this recording does not completely captivate me, it is solely a matter of taste—the ensemble’s perfection is beyond doubt. Favored by the velvety, cushioned sound, I still miss the "hellfire" in Schubert that Reichow mocks. Despite the undeniable dramatic surges, a soft basic character prevails. And over time, this feels a touch too one-dimensional, ethereal, even: sterile.
    Fridemann Leipold

  2. Fanfare-Magazin

    ... isn′t actually a set per se, for the discs are available separately and bear numbers that are not sequential. Still, it is hard to imagine collectors purchasing one of them without promptly going after the other.
    Thanks to Tacet′s series of reissues, the Abegg Trio, still very much a force in European music (although the group has not toured the US for some time), is rapidly becoming a personal favorite. Part of the reason for this is the overall high quality of the performances. The use of a Bösendorfer Imperial piano doesn′t hurt matters a bit. And the engineering is outstanding, too. The ensemble playing of violinist Ulrich Beetz, cellist Birgit Erichson, and pianist Gerrit Zitterbart is of the highest order, and the interpretations strike me as rock-solid.
    Their two CDs encompass all of Schubert′s surviving music for piano trio, and a bit more too, for they perform the finale of the Second Trio as it was published in 1828 plus the full, uncut original version. It′s nice to have the former in such a nice reading, but it is hardly unknown, and chances are good that most listeners will opt for the complete version...
    The four works presented by the Abegg Trio easily rank among the best modern-instrument performances on record that I have heard - and that picss a great deal of territory....
    John W. Lambert

  3. Süddeutsche Zeitung

    Record Tips from SZ Critics
    Prof. Joachim Kaiser: "My Disc of the Year."

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