Beethoven: Piano Trios, Op. 70 (2014)

There is no shortage of recordings of Beethoven's middle-period Op. 70 trios, expansive, expressive pieces that have stood at the center of the chamber music repertory ever since they were issued. This reading by the Vienna Piano Trio, a modern-instrument group unlike many on the MDG label, has several things to recommend it. For those who like Beethoven on the dry, brusque side, it may be ideal: the group takes some quick tempos, notably in the first movement of the Piano Trio in D major, and they favor direct, vibrato ... Read More

There is no shortage of recordings of Beethoven's middle-period Op. 70 trios, expansive, expressive pieces that have stood at the center of the chamber music repertory ever since they were issued. This reading by the Vienna Piano Trio, a modern-instrument group unlike many on the MDG label, has several things to recommend it. For those who like Beethoven on the dry, brusque side, it may be ideal: the group takes some quick tempos, notably in the first movement of the Piano Trio in D major, and they favor direct, vibrato-free attacks. The second movement of that trio, which gave the work its nickname the "Ghost," might not have inspired the name in this rather straightforward performance, but the group is not without lyricism: as Beethoven indeed directed in the finale of the Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 70/2, they keep the rhythmic impulse moving without slowing down for expressive purposes, and much of the music takes on a Schubertian tinge. Another attraction here is the presence of a less common... Read Less