The catalogue is already
well stocked with bargain-price versions of the Beethoven Piano
Trios, including two complete or near-complete sets on EMI’s
own 2-CD Gemini label. Barenboim, Zukerman and du Pré offer
Trios 1-3 with the Archduke on 3 50798 2 and Trios 5 and 8
with the un-numbered E flat Trio, the ‘Kakadu’ Variations and
two Cello Sonatas on 3 50807 2. Ashkenazy, Perlman and Harrell
perform a complete set on two Geminis, 5 85493 2 and 5 85496
2. Both of these rival sets offer formidable competition but
the present issue is fully worthy to stand alongside them.
The Chung Trio set is a
reissue of two CDs which appeared in the early 1990s, still
coupled as they were on the original discs, though the matrix
numbers suggest that they have been re-mastered for this reissue.
The combination of the two best-known works, the so-called ‘Ghost’
and ‘Archduke’, together with the fact that Kyung-Wha Chung
is the violinist, will prove a powerful attraction for anyone
who buys this set on impulse. Such purchasers will not be disappointed,
though they may be surprised at Kyung-Wha Chung’s comparative
reticence in these performances. In the Romantic and post-Romantic
repertoire she is known for the intensity of her playing: this
is what makes her performances of the Tchaikovsky and Sibelius
concertos (475 7734) and the Prokofiev/Stravinsky coupling (476
7226) so recommendable: both of these are treasured discs in
my collection in earlier incarnations. Seen live, she appears
so entranced as almost to defy gravity. She is, however, equally
well tuned to the mood of these Beethoven Trios where such extroversion
is not appropriate – though this must not be taken as implying
that her performances are in any way too subdued.
Beethoven’s Op.1 Trios
were his statement of belief in his own ability in 1795. Haydn
thought that their publication, dedicated to Prince Lichnowsky,
was slightly premature; when he so informed his pupil, Beethoven
accused his mentor of jealousy, later to declare that he had
learned more from Salieri than from Haydn, who had taught him
very little. Haydn was right in one respect: these are works
for the piano with the other instruments in abeyance, whereas
Haydn’s own Piano Trios are much more designed for an equal
partnership – as Beethoven’s own later Trios were to become.
Trio No.1 is a substantial but generally sunny four-movement
work with, as Bernard Jacobson notes in the booklet, only a
few of the signs of the explosive musical personality that would
develop later. As a product of late eighteenth-century classicism,
it receives a classical performance: Kyung-Wha Chung never tries
to steal the limelight but gels well with her two able siblings.
Trio No.5 follows on the
first CD, a short but mature middle-period work in which all
three instrumentalists have important parts to play; by now
Beethoven’s work on the six Op.18 and three Op.59 quartets had
given him experience in writing for string instruments without
piano and this enabled him to share things more evenly. The
three members of the Chung family rise fully to the occasion,
especially in the slow movement, marked largo assai ed espressivo,
originally intended as a witches’ scene in an uncompleted Macbeth
opera. (This is the movement which earned the piece its nickname.)
Their performance is certainly espressivo without being
overdone: although, at 11:09, their time for this movement is somewhat slow
this beautiful movement never outstays its welcome at their
hands.
Trio No.4 was originally
composed as a Clarinet Trio but in 1798 Beethoven published
the Piano Trio version heard here. The performance is so good
that one forgets the original scoring. In the central adagio
the cello comes into its own, with Myung-Wha Chung rising ably
to the occasion.
Trio No.7, the ‘Archduke’
is, of course, the best known of all these works and it is for
this that most will probably purchase the set. The booklet
suggests “Olympian calm and quizzical humour” as the identifying
qualities of this work, a description which is very apt to the
Chung Trio’s performance. Of the many versions which I have
heard over the years, this comes very close to being ideal,
though I find it hard to say exactly why. Perhaps the reviewer
who suggested that the Chungs’ approach matched the deep reverence
of Beethoven’s dedication to Archduke Rudolph came closest to
the answer, but that is not to say that the performers sound
pompous: this is the ‘Archduke’ not the ‘Emperor’. The booklet
notes suggest that the first movement evokes Wordsworthian “thoughts
that do often lie too deep for tears”, a most apt observation,
in that Beethoven and Wordsworth – near-contemporaries, though
Wordsworth’s best period had passed when Beethoven wrote this
trio in 1811 – often challenge our ability to define exactly
what aspects of their work appeal to us.
Anyone who buys this set
for the ‘Archduke’ alone will have obtained what, many years
ago, as impecunious undergraduates, my friends and I dubbed
‘GVforM’ – good value for money – and three other fine performances
to boot. In those days the Ace of Clubs mono reissues of Münchinger’s
Brandenburgs and Four Seasons, soon followed by
Supraphon (in stereo, albeit with noisy surfaces) and Saga (even
cheaper and with even worse surfaces) seemed excellent bargains.
We could not have imagined then a bargain such as the present
issue: two CDs, with excellent performances and good, clear
but not too forward recording, for about a quarter of the cost
in present-day terms of one Ace of Clubs LP. If you want a
more complete set of the Beethoven Piano Trios, the other Gemini
sets will meet your needs. Otherwise the Florestan Trio on
three Hyperion CDs perform all the Piano Trios and variations
and come highly recommended. (CDA67327, CDA67369, CDA67393
and CDA67466) I cannot imagine any other reason why you should
not go out and buy this set.
The notes in the booklet
are brief but informative. They appear to have been written specially
for this CD, except that they seem to assume that the two named
works are “placed next to each other” on the same disc. Though
less extensive than Naxos provides in this price-range,
they are much better than European-sourced Eloquence CDs, which
are usually innocent of any notes. Australian Eloquence at least
offer some notes, though their recent reissue of Handel Italian
Cantatas with Emma Kirkby/AAM/Christopher Hogwood, an otherwise
wonderful bargain on 476 7468, contained full track details but
no texts. Generously Naxos offer all
their booklet notes on their website. (For Beethoven start with
http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/79.htm
and navigate from there.)
My copy arrived with a
broken hinge and a crack in the front of the case. Perhaps
all companies should follow the increasing trend towards laminated
gatefold sleeves with plastic inserts for 2- and 3-CD sets,
which seem less susceptible to such damage.
Brian
Wilson
