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Franz Joseph Haydn: Piano Trios Nos. 24, 25, 26 & 31

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Naxos Classics
Released: 2011
Time:
 52:26
Category: Classical
Producer(s): Andrew Keener
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.pianotrio.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2014
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


     Piano Trio no. 26 in F-sharp minor, Hob. XV-26
[1] Allegro - 5:31
[2] Adagio cantabile - 3:24
[3] Finale: Tempo di Minuetto - 4:55
     Piano Trio no. 24 in D major, Hob. XV-24
[4] Allegro - 7:06
[5] Andante - 2:35
[6] Allegro, ma dolce - 2:38
     Piano Trio no. 25 in G major, Hob. XV-25
[7] Andante - 6:02
[8] Poco adagio, cantabile - 5:18
[9] Finale: Rondo all'ongarese: Presto - 3:25
     Piano Trio no. 31 in E-flat minor, Hob. XV-31
[10] Andante cantabile - 8:13
[11] Allegro ben moderato - 3:19

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Kungsbacka Piano Trio:
Malin Broman - Violin
Jesper Svedberg - Cello
Simon Crawford Phillips - Grand Piano

Andrew Keener - Producer
Simon Eadon - Engineer
John H. West - Editing
Hanya Chlala - Photography
Keith Anderson - Liner Notes

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2011 CD  Naxos 8.572040

Recorded in Potton Hall, Suffolk between April 6, 2008 - April 8, 2008.


Sweden's Kungsbacka Piano Trio has made solid recordings of Mozart's chamber music, and they clearly have a feel for how to bring out the unusual qualities of a Classical-era composition without going beyond the boundaries of the style. In this collection of piano trios from Haydn's second London sojourn, written for a woman who was in all likelihood the composer's girlfriend on the side, they have plenty of unusual material to work with. Consider the opening movement of the Piano Trio in D major, Hob. 25/24, with its daringly roundabout way of getting to its second subject area. There's the right level of mystery in the Kungsbacka's playing here, and the right level of lyricism in the very Schubertian opening melody of the Piano Trio in F sharp minor, Hob. 25/26. There's a lot to like in their playing here, but there's an issue shared with a lot of other groups that come at Haydn's keyboard trios from the perspective of modern instruments and modern repertory: the roles of the instruments aren't properly balanced. Although Haydn departs from the pattern in several clever ways, these are essentially keyboard sonatas with the accompaniment of a violin and cello, and the two stringed instruments get too much weight in most of the music here. Sample the last movement of the Piano Trio in G major, Hob. 15/25, with its familiar "Gypsy Rondo" finale. Here the piano is inadequately highlighted as the cello saws away on largely insignificant doublings of the piano's bass line. There are movements where the group's sound, faithfully captured in Britain's acoustically fine Potton Hall, works better than in other places, but sample various recordings to hear different relationships between piano and strings.

James Manheim - All Music Guide



Joseph Haydn was a thorough guy. If he wrote symphonies, he did over a hundred. If he wrote string quartets, he did almost seventy. In piano trios, he stopped at 45. These trios, from the earliest to the latest, are pure delight. For the most part they are upbeat and jovial, just like most Haydn’s output was. But there is enough diversity, as the present selection performed by the Kungsbacka trio demonstrates. Note that there may seem to be a gap in the numeration of trios, but actually they go in a chronological sequence, since later research lead to corrections of the original numeration of the Hoboken catalog.

The Kungsbacka trio was formed in 1997 and has since earned an international recognition; it has already recorded for Naxos the piano trios by Mozart and Schubert. As the liner note informs us, the group’s name was taken from the town in Sweden where they gave their first public performance, and where they established an annual festival.

The first movement of the F sharp minor Trio is in a minor key and starts in a somewhat melancholic mood, but this is Haydn’s “active melancholy”, with the major key lying not so far under the surface. The long and elaborate development section ventures deeper into the minor and shows some unexpected dramatic points and fascinating modulations. The slow movement is an adaptation of the slow movement of the London symphony No.102, with its subtle beauties. It is a widely flowing, pastoral aria. The third movement is not what you’d probably expect from a Haydn finale. It is unhurried and almost serious, with proto-Schubertian grace. The playing of the Kungsbacka trio is excellent in the first movement, and their finale is elegant and has good momentum. But in the slow movement I find their performance a bit hassled.

The first movement of the D major Trio is a typical sonata allegro of the classical period, playful and free. It resembles the first movements of some of Mozart’s piano concertos. The shadows darken in the development section, with its mysterious notes and a certain creeping coldness. The slow movement is gray and gloomy, like a slow march or procession. The skies brighten up again in the finale, with the telling marking Allegro ma dolce. Its middle episode is dark and nervous, but it is surrounded by warm and tender music with a soft smile. In Kungsbacka’s reading, the first movement is a fast ride, but not uncomfortably fast. The slow movement is full of restrained expressivity. In the finale, they are fast, which on one hand reduces the healing qualities of this music, but on the other hand increases the drama of the minor-key episode, and makes it feel more like a true finale.

The first movement of the G major Trio is a lark’s song, alternating between major and minor key. It is an expressive and beautiful set of variations, very Haydnesque, light without shallowness and profound without pompousness. The slow movement is an ethereal romance. It starts calm but gradually reaches passionate heights. The third part is the famous Rondo all’ongarese with its Gypsy and Balkanian twists and imitations of folk instruments. It is happy music, festive and carefree, sewn out of many colorful bits like the costume of Harlequin. The Kungsbacka are sensitive in the first movement. They express emotions without adding external pressure. Their slow movement is again on the fast side. I feel that something is missing. Maybe because of this faster tempo the music does not breathe, it rushes forward, and though it still leaves a profound impression, I am not sure this impression is as deep as it could be in a more relaxed interpretation. The finale is effective, with smart accents. The performers use slight rubato and change the tempo sometimes, to bring a more Gypsy atmosphere. The cello provides excellent droning bass.

The Trio in E flat minor returns us to the minor mode. This work shows more wisdom and weariness than the elegant lightness and jolliness displayed in the earlier trios. It has only two parts, but the deep sense of form allowed the composer to balance the long and contemplative first movement with a short, encouraging second. The first movement combines the features of variations and rondo. The music flows as a narration. This story has bright and sad pages, like a story of life. But Haydn would not be Haydn if he kept on sulking and brooding. The short finale is as sunny and cheerful as you could expect from Haydn. It is not ebullient, but has a gallant dignity. In the first movement, the Kungsbacka are thoughtful and give the music some weight. In the second, their performance is noble and natural.

This impression – noble and natural – can be extended to the entire disc. The musicians of the Kungsbacka piano trio exhibit excellent, deep understanding of the music of Joseph Haydn, the music that above all requires not the virtuosity, not the emotionality, but understanding. The recording is very clear, with a good special definition. The sound is not flat. The three instruments blend perfectly. The selection of the trios on this disc provides enough diversity, so the listening never becomes boring. If you want to explore more of Haydn’s trios, then the classic Beaux Arts box on Phillips has them all in an unbeatable set that will grant you hours and hours of listening bliss. But if having absolutely all the trios seems too much for you (and indeed, the early ones are not at the level of the mature ones), then this set by the Kungbacka is an excellent and easily affordable entry point. Interpretation-wise, they are not radically different from the Beaux Arts, though I feel that the Beaux Arts give more breadth and breathe to the slow movements. Also, the Beaux Arts observe more repeats, which in my opinion serves to better balance the structures. The advantage of the Kunsbacka is some additional feeling of spontaneity, more contrast and transparency.

The liner notes by Keith Anderson are in genuine Naxos-style: compact yet informative. In a short space they tell the story of Haydn’s life and the context of creation of the four works, together with a somewhat dry musical analysis of the pieces.

Oleg Ledeniov - Musicweb International



The New Grove lists both systems for numbering Haydn’s piano trios: the Hoboken catalogue sequence beginning ‘Hob.XV’ and a differing straight number sequence. Naxos cites the Hoboken numbers but also numbers the trios with those numbers which is misleading, so I use the straight number sequence in the heading and this review.

The Kungsbacka Piano Trio begin their survey of Haydn’s piano trios with a fairly atypical example, Piano Trio 24 being in a minor key and a little used one at that: F sharp minor. But this beginning takes us to mature Haydn, so everything is more subtle and complex than it might at first seem. The opening movement in this performance (tr. 1) moves smoothly, more Allegretto than the marked Allegro, from rather sombre, if gracious, reflection through a pastel-shaded transition to the refined, lightly buoyant jollity of the second theme (0:50). During all this you appreciate too the pleasing interplay between the instruments and the occasional high-spots for all, notably, because more rare, the sudden outcry of the cello at 1:34. On the whole, though, KPT favour understatement, for example with regard to the sforzandi in the development from 3:15. You might feel the warm slow movement, certainly cantabile but more Adagietto than the marked Adagio, is too understated. I did on first hearing but thereafter readily succumbed to this mellow and gentle interpretation. The finale, marked Tempo di Minuetto, is very much characterized as a scherzo, with a lightly playful, quizzical start then a gawkily jocular progress. You feel the central section in F sharp major, which you could call the trio, is the movement’s haven where all’s well. But it’s only a haven and you have to come to terms with returning to reality and F sharp minor, however well crafted and elegantly turned. Here I would have preferred the minor key material a little darker and tougher which would set off the major key material even more.

I compared the classic 1970 recording by the Beaux Arts Trio (Philips 454 098-2). The opening movement from BAT is a truer Allegro. This makes the expression more clipped and cheery from the outset and there’s accordingly less contrast between the first and second themes. BAT’s sforzandi are more crisp and also urgent. The movement is better balanced because, unlike KPT, the second half is repeated as marked. BAT’s slow movement is more measured and in this a truer Adagio cantabile, revealing more nuance, more eloquence. The starker moments are more integrated within the whole. BAT bring to the finale their coolest manner but this is tempered in that they always point the dancing nature of the rhythms. However, this means that the major section isn’t so distinct in mood, though it’s daintier in style.

Trio 22 (tr. 4) opens quietly but is soon cheerier and in KPT’s account often moves effortlessly from thoughtful to lively. You’ll also appreciate their variation of presentation, such as making the second phrase (0:17) softer at the outset; similarly the repeat of a phrase at 2:46, the latter not marked in the score but appropriate and effective. The development (3:45) has a creamily cool start and intense thoughtfulness. What were vaunting piano leaps in the exposition are now (4:44) more considered. Appreciable from 6:10 is the interplay of all the instruments. The slow movement seems to me a funeral march and is presented so by BAT with an angrier second section (tr. 5 1:01 in KPT’s account). There’s a pained doggedness about the insistency of the opening four-note motif. KPT’s approach is a faster Andante, 2:35 against BAT’s 3:10, thereby smoother but also more matter-of-fact. The cascades of demisemiquavers from 1:45 in the violin and the right hand of the piano against the tune in the cello and piano left hand are objectively distilled at mezzo piano. There they are given a louder and more rigorous impact by BAT. The finale (tr. 6) is marked Allegro ma dolce and KPT are more successful in the Allegro aspect. Their playing is a marvel of fluency but I miss the sense of benign summation that I get with BAT’s slightly steadier tempo, 2:49 against KPT’s 2:32.

Delivered at a well judged Andante and with the three instruments beautifully balanced, KPT’s opening movement of Trio 23 (tr. 7) seems to me ideal. So enjoy the urbane presentation from the start and greater involvement by the cello than usual because of the rising phrase first heard from 0:44 in the rondo’s second strain. The first variation of the rondo theme (1:15) briefly flirts with G minor but soon freshens. The opening G major rondo returns (2:30) with increasingly rippling texture. The only episode (3:44) showcases the violin, sparklingly delivered without dominating. The closing rondo return (4:39) spotlights the piano’s dexterity but again the others are allowed their say. KPT’s Poco Adagio second movement, however, is for me too flowing. While it’s clear that the ornamentation is an integral part of the melodic line, you become too aware of the structure. Here BAT, timing at 6:17 against KPT’s 5:19, find throughout the breathing space and poise that KPT’s tender violin melody shows in the central section. KPT’s treatment of the famous ‘Rondo in the Gipsies’ style’ finale, on the other hand, very fetchingly contrasts a light articulation of the rondo at a merry Presto with fittingly racier episodes incorporating earthy tempo fluctuations.

With Trio 28 (Hob.XV:31) we come full circle to another uncommon minor key, this time E flat minor, but it’s the ambivalence of the opening movement (tr. 10), well caught in KPT’s flowing Andante, that’s fascinating. Reflective soberness is frequently softened so the rondo’s first episode in E flat major (2:10) doesn’t seem out of place, just a spotlighting of a sometimes lurking happier mood, with lovely feathery touch from pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips in its second part’s demisemiquavers. The second episode in B major (5:06) features a homely violin solo with a sensitive mezza voce style from Malin Broman in the repeat of the second strain. The second movement (tr. 11) with its joyous ascents for violin and piano shows happiness now triumphant.

For me KPT’s consistently pacy approach is only sometimes successful yet they give always good and sometimes very good performances recorded with vivid immediacy.

Michael Greenhalgh - Musicweb International

 

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