Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok

Track Listings
1. Piano Trio No.1 in c, Op.8 - Stockholm Arts Trio    
2. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Andante-Moderato - Stockholm Arts Trio    
3. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Allegro Non Troppo - Stockholm Arts Trio    
4. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Largo - Stockholm Arts Trio    
5. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Allegretto - Stockholm Arts Trio    
6. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Ophelia's Song - Anita Soldh    
7. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Hamayun, The Prophetic Bird - Anita Soldh    
8. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: We Were Together - Anita Soldh    
9. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: The City Sleeps - Anita Soldh    
10. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Storm - Anita Soldh    
11. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Mysterious Signs - Anita Soldh    
12. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Music - Anita Soldh    

Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok, Music, Torleif Thedeen, Dmitry Shostakovich, Stockholm Arts Trio, Stefan Bojsten, Anita Soldh, Dan Almgren, Chamber, Classical, Classical Composers, Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble, Trio for Keyboard and Two String Instruments, Vocal
Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Seven Romances
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent Shostakovich recital
 Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Seven Romances

Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

TriosTrios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Beaux Arts TrioBeaux Arts Trio | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by ShostakovichAll Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Brahms: Cello Sonatas
  2. Mendelssohn: Trio No. 1; Dvorák: Dumky Trio
  3. Antonín Dvorák: Complete Piano Trios
  4. Intimate Voices
  5. Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No1, Op107; Violin Concerto No1 (revised), Op99

ASIN: B000BMGFBK
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Tracks:

  1. Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 8
  2. Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67
  3. Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok, Op. 127*

Album Description

The C Minor Piano Trio was composed in 1923 when Shostakovich was 17 years old and the most brilliant student at the Petrograd Conservatory. Shostakovich tried to avoid the sound of 19th-century piano trios and to create original music for a post-Revolutionary society.

The E Minor Piano Trio begun in 1943 immediately after Shostakovich had completed his 7th and 8th symphonies. The finale is grim and disturbing, using Jewish idioms as symbols of oppression and victimhood. The ending is still, like a mass grave.

In the final work, Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok, the first three songs are accompanied by solo instruments, the next three by duets, and the last song by all three instruments playing together. In this recording the soloist is Joan Rodgers, one of Britain’s best-loved singers.

The Beaux Arts Trio celebrated a highly successful 50th Anniversary Season in 2004-2005. Pianist and founding member Menahem Pressler and his colleagues, violinist Daniel Hope and cellist Antonio Meneses, continue to ignite overwhelming enthusiasm from audiences around the world.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Shostakovich recital.......2006-02-24

This is an excellent new release from the Beaux Arts Trio. Shostakovich's early and rarely heard Piano Trio #1 was written at age 17 while the composer was still a student. Extremely accessible and enjoyable, the music shows the composer's trademark wit and satire with none of the crushing emotional distress that imbues nearly every one of his mature masterpieces. The Piano Trio #2 is among Shostakovich's most anguished works. The intensity of Shostakovich's own 1946 recording with Oistrakh and Sadlo (essential listening despite the gritty sound quality) derives in large part from its fury and hysteria. This new Beaux Arts Trio recording approaches the work differently, adopting slightly more deliberate tempos that emphasize the gravity and despair of the occasion. There is less frenzy but more exploration of Shostakovich's wide range of dark shadows, and the drama is chillingly sinister. Listeners familiar with the Beaux Arts Trio will not be surprised by the superlative level of musicianship evidenced here. The players' individual contributions could easily be extolled at length, but the real joy of the group-in concert and on record-is the unbeatable sense of ensemble. The playing is inspired, organic, and intuitive from the first bar, but listen especially to the ominous piano chords in the Largo or the impassioned string duet in the central section of the finale (starting around 5'35). The Seven Romances are haunting and sparsely written, with extensive solo passages for each instrument. Joan Rodgers' singing elegantly conveys the work's desolation and sense of mystery. The whole disc is heartily recommended for the quality playing, choice of repertoire, and clarity of sound.
Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Intense and underrated
 Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

TriosTrios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by ShostakovichAll Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
4-for-3 Classical4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
4-for-3 All Music4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Piano Quintets
  2. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
  3. Shostakovich: String Quartets (Complete), Vol. 2
  4. Shostakovich: Cello Concertos 1 & 2
  5. Shostakovich: Violin & Viola Sonatas

ASIN: B0000014DB
Release Date: 1997-03-18

Tracks:

  1. Piano Trio No.1 in c, Op.8 - Stockholm Arts Trio
  2. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Andante-Moderato - Stockholm Arts Trio
  3. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Allegro Non Troppo - Stockholm Arts Trio
  4. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Largo - Stockholm Arts Trio
  5. Pianot Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Allegretto - Stockholm Arts Trio
  6. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Ophelia's Song - Anita Soldh
  7. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Hamayun, The Prophetic Bird - Anita Soldh
  8. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: We Were Together - Anita Soldh
  9. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: The City Sleeps - Anita Soldh
  10. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Storm - Anita Soldh
  11. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Mysterious Signs - Anita Soldh
  12. Seven Romances On Verses Op.127: Music - Anita Soldh

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Intense and underrated.......2005-01-18

I have always had a special fondness for the Op. 67 trio, especially when performed live. My one regret regarding this piece is that I never felt it was represented well on disc. I've listened to nearly every recording on the market, and I've yet to hear a recording that didn't miss the mark somehow. Sometimes it is something minor, like a lack of proper recording balance, like on the excellent Repin/Yablonsky/Berezovsky recording on Erato that is coupled with the Tchaikovsky Trio. There are a number of recordings that deserve a place in the catalogue for sure -- Elisabeth Leonskaja with members of the Borodin Quaret (now deleted in the US), Nash Ensemble, and Helmerson/Tellefsen/Pallson for example, but for the most part recordings of this piece have an intolerable lack of technical perfection and/or intensity.

What I think makes this recording with the Stockholm Arts Trio successful is simply that they play with the conviction and musicianship that you would expect from a live performance. Also, you can say what you will about the gritty and intense interpretation, these three Swedish players are an astounding ensemble and clearly can play circles around any number of piano trios, celebrity or not.

My one complaint with the group is that the pianist does not always match the intensity of his partners, but in way his "cool" approach is a nice counter that keeps the whole thing from going over the top.

The first trio is also well represented, and although their rendition of the Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok may not shoot to the top of the list, the performances of the two trios should more than make up for it.

This isn't THE end-all greatest Shostakovich recording of our generation -- but for the price, and considering the weak competition on the market today, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't pick up this recording today. I would strongly urge giving it a listen before picking up more famous recordings by Beaux Arts, Stern/Ax/Ma, Kremer/Argeich/Maisky or (gasp!) the Eroica Trio.
Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos.1 & 2/Aphorisms
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos.1 & 2/Aphorisms

    Manufacturer: Triton
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    TriosTrios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    Character PiecesCharacter Pieces | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by ShostakovichAll Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B0000058NG
    Release Date: 1996-11-19

    Tracks:

    1. Pno Trio No.1, Op.8
    2. Aphorisms, Op.13: Recitative
    3. Aphorisms, Op.13: Ser
    4. Aphorisms, Op.13: Nocturne
    5. Aphorisms, Op.13: Elegy
    6. Aphorisms, Op.13: March Funebre
    7. Aphorisms, Op.13: Etude
    8. Aphorisms, Op.13: Dance Of Death
    9. Aphorisms, Op.13: Canon
    10. Aphorisms, Op.13: Legend
    11. Aphorisms, Op.13: Lullaby
    12. Pno Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Andante
    13. Pno Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Allegro Non Troppo
    14. Pno Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Largo
    15. Pno Trio No.2 in e, Op.67: Allegretto
    Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Cello Sonata [Hybrid SACD]
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Shostakovich: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Cello Sonata [Hybrid SACD]

      Manufacturer: Tudor
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      TriosTrios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
      Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      CelloCello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      All Works by ShostakovichAll Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000H5U82I
      Release Date: 2007-05-29

      Music Review:

      1. Shostakovich: Quintet Op57; Hindemith: Quartet
      2. Six Masses After a Burgundian Song/La Dissection
      3. Songs of France
      4. Songs of Scotland / Marie McLaughlin · Malcolm Martineau
      5. Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven-Diabelli Variations
      6. Sym #2 / Sym #7 (Insect Symphony)
      7. Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony; The Tempest
      8. The Complete RCA Recordings
      9. The Glass Armonica CD/DVD Set
      10. The Spirits of England and France, Vol. 1: Music of the Later Middle Ages for Court and Church

      Music Review

      music review

      Music Review

      Looks Like a Russian [Import]

      A Glimpse of Heaven - St. Martin's Chamber Choir

      Antonio Vivaldi: Concertos For Recorder

      Remixed Prayers [CD-single] [Import]

      #1's [Import]

      BAMBOO SHADOWS

      A L'olympia [Import]

      A Christmas Kind of Town

      You Need This [Import]

      Waverly Consort Presents the Christmas Story

      White & Blue

      Y Es Facil ?No Es Facil

      Whenever Wherever / Suerte [CD-single] [Import]

      Haydn and the Gypsies: Solo and Chamber Music in Style Hongrois

      Born Under a Bad Sign