Beyond merely beautiful: profound, thoughtful, yet fresh
Daniel R. Greenfield | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | 10/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Saint-Saëns is often thought to have been a contemporary of Debussy, but the truth is, he was a contemporary of Brahms; he just happened to live a very long life. He was once viewed as a stubborn, old-fashioned fuddy-duddy whom 20th-Century music had left behind in a cloud of dust. Most remembered, I suppose, was his famous walk-out at the premier of Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps. Arguably, he was as talented as Brahms, but had the misfortune of being born in France. He championed French music at a time when German music was king, and chamber music at a time when opera was queen.
The two piano trios on this disc were composed at two different periods in his life. The first was composed in 1863 when he was 28, and the second was composed in 1890 when he was 56. As the excellent album notes by Robert Philip relate, "the first trio has an immediate freshness and impact, whereas the second is more serious and subtle." The opening movement of the first trio seems to play continuously somewhere in the back of my mind. Putting on the album just the other day I was struck with the immediate recognition of that phantom melody. It is composed with such perfect conciseness and clarity, there is not one note out of place or wasted. The second movement brings to mind "the sound of the hurdy-gurdy, complete with the characteristic tug of the rosined wheel at the end of each phrase" (Philip).
The second trio's first movement is also unforgettable. The piano "plays a pattern of repeated chords, rising and falling in a wave" (Philip). The second movement is a rather short "irregular minuet in five-time", "at first delicate and in the major, later urgent and in the minor" (Philip). Both trios possess an unforgettable lyricism that endears the music to the sensitive listener. I keep coming back to this album, although I've listened to it at least a dozen times, and I always discover new beauties in the music each time I hear it. It is like giving myself a treat whenever I put this recording on.
As for the Florestan Trio, they are in their most glorious form here. Marwood, Lester, and Tomes are incredibly gifted artists, and they play as though this music was written expressly for them. On every album the Florestan record, they are unrivaled masters. I can also recommend in this same space their recording of the Mendelsshon piano trios, also on Hyperion, another album that cannot be praised highly enough."
Excellent Performance
J. Grant | North Carolina, USA | 02/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm relatively new to Saint-Saens music, but not to Susan Tomes. In my opinion she is a very underrated pianist, and one of the very best chamber music artists I've had the pleasure of hearing. I have several of The Florestan Trio's other recordings, so I thought I'd give this one a try. I wasn't disappointed in the least. Tomes is outstanding as usual, and I am now likely to dig deeper into Saint-Saens' chamber music, as I am also impressed by his skills as a composer. Hyperion's sound is among the best around."
