Trio Shaham-Erez-Wallfisch delight in this repertoire,
says Jan Smaczny
CHAMBER CHOICE
Dvořák
Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor; Violin Sonatina in G; Slavonic Dances – selection (arr. Kreisler)
Hagai Shaham (violin), Raphael Wallfisch (cello), Arnon Erez (piano)
Nimbus NI 5952 68:59 mins
Both Dvořák’s F minor Piano Trio and Seventh Symphony were intended to display his seriousness as an artist with an eye on sophisticated audiences in Vienna, Berlin and London, and both were extensively revised and refined before reaching their final version. The Trio may lack the intoxicating lyricism of the Symphony, but its concentration and driving impetus, in the right hands, can be both inspiring and rewarding; luckily, the Shaham-Erez-Wallfisch Trio are just that. Their passionate engagement with the work’s stirring rhetoric is evident throughout and the flexibility of their approach avoids the rather effortful stiffness that mars a number of available recordings. Moreover, the individual playing is beautifully nuanced without undermining the integrity of the ensemble. Some may find their tempo in the scherzo a little too fast, but judged overall this nicely recorded performance is certainly one of the most recommendable available.
The rest of this album is also hugely rewarding. Shaham and Erez play arrangements by Kreisler of three of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances with just the right amount of sentimental relish. They also give a delightful rendition of Dvořák’s Sonatina for violin and piano. Composed for his children during his stay in America, it shows us a completely different side of the composer from the F minor Trio, revelling in infectious, open-hearted melody as well as being beautifully judged to suit the technical abilities of younger players. Shaham and Erez’s approach to the work is full of unashamed enjoyment with no sense of patronising its inherent simplicity.
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING
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JS Bach
The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 (arr. quartet); Chorale Prelude, BWV 668 ‘Vor deinen Thron’
Cuarteto Casals
Harmonia Mundi HMM902717 68:26 mins
Though its instrumentation is unspecified, the most successful recordings of Bach’s The Art of Fugue must surely be those by instrumental ensembles with homogenous timbres. Interpretations for string quartet have appeared in the catalogue since the 1980s, and Cuarteto Casals’s new release for Harmonia Mundi can confidently assume its rightful place amongst these
