Search - Haydn, Trio Wanderer :: Piano Trios 39 43-45

Wonderful Everything!

M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 07/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The only downside I can think of regarding this recording can be dispensed with quickly: it's expensive. Other than that, nothing but praise. First, the music represents some of the best that Haydn wrote for domestic performance while in London in the 1790s. As the informative notes (another big plus) point out, the trios on this disc represent dedications to musical friends and acquaintances in London: Rebecca Schroeter and Therese Jansen. The latter was apparently a professional-quality pianist, and the trios Haydn dedicated to her Nos. 43-45) reflect this fact in the more challenging piano part. Nonetheless, Ms. Shroeter's dedication include one of Haydn's greatest hits, Trio No. 39 with its finale "in Gypsy style." A wonderful work anyway, it has special zip, panache, and elegance in this performance.



Just about as memorable is the finale of No. 45, "in the German style." But there is superb music throughout these four trios. As long as you come to them understanding they were written for domestic consumption and so will not storm the heavens in the manner of, say, "The Archduke Trio," there is much, much to enjoy and admire on this disc. That includes both the magisterial performances of the Wanderer Trio and the excellent sound, which emanates from la Salle de Musique de la Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, apparently a nigh-perfect venue for chamber music. Even the cover, featuring a reproduction of J-E Liotard's charming "The Chocolate Girl," is just right. Yes, I liked this one!



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