Beethoven: Piano Trios Op. 38 & Op. 81b

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Cat No: MDG90322986

Release Date: 12 January 2024

Label: MDG

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 760623229867

Genres: Classical Chamber Music

Description
For more than 30 years, Trio Parnassus has inspired audiences with their gripping virtuosity as well as their sensitive musicality. Time and again, they delight audiences with outstanding originals alongside newly discovered works, expanding the trio repertoire and sparking new momentum in concert halls around the world. This SACD, with the famous Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 81b (arranged by Simrock from Sextet, Op. 81b) and Piano Trio, Op. 38 (from Septet, Op. 20), now completes the cycle of recording all of Beethoven's trios for MDG.

"Send my septet out into the world a little faster - because the rabble is awaiting it." Wrote Beethoven to his publisher, alluding to his increasingly widespread popularity, which was quite bothersome to him. The leading violin part of the original septet is primarily given to the right hand of the piano. The violin plays the largely unchanged clarinet part. The left hand of the piano takes over the horn, bassoon, viola and cello. Beethoven extensively reworked the cello part, significantly elevating it and therefore the piece rightly received its own opus number.

Simrock, who also traded in sheet music, was a musician who had a long-standing friendship with the Beethoven family. Beethoven's grandfather, Johann, even conducted the orchestra in Bonn where Simrock played horn and the young Ludwig played viola. Originally a sextet for two horns, two violins, viola and bass, Simrock arranged it for piano trio in a version with viola instead of violin, most likely because the subdued sound of the viola blended better with the cello. This can clearly be heard at the very beginning of the piece. Here, the award-winning violist Madeleine Przybyl plays a viola by Tommaso Balestrieri from 1765.

This Super-Audio CD was recorded in the truly excellent acoustics of Marienmunster Abbey with MDG's trademark 2+2+2 recording technology. This way, Trio Parnasuss' artistic interpretation attains the greatest possible naturalness and vividness. Three stereophonic channels provide a three-dimensional sonic image of the musicians. As this is exactly how the human ear interprets sound, the natural acoustic is preserved and the performance can be realistically recreated for the listener at home.

"This is a fascinating […] and sublime disc. I do quite like the expressivity of this beautiful violin dolce sound, and ease [Trio Parnassus] bring to this really hard repertoire. They are, as an ensemble, beautifully blended together. The recording is crystal clear, we have a front row seat." – Jennifer Pike, Hannah French; BBC Radio 3, Record Review

WINNER: INNOVATIVE LISTENING EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR – OPUS KLASSIK AWARDS 2024
Tracklisting