BaL 08.02.25 - Mendelssohn: Piano trio 1

[Pulcinella]

1500
Building a Library
Katy Hamilton chooses her favourite version of Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49, was written in 1839. Along with the famous Octet it is one of his most popular chamber works. When fellow-composer Robert Schumann reviewed the work he declared Mendelssohn to be "the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the brightest musician, who most clearly understands the contradictions of the age and is the first to reconcile them."

Presto listing here:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/39716--mendelssohn-piano-trio-no-1-in-d-minor-op-49/browse

The BBC MM offering (Volume 20, Number 2) is a Cadogan Hall Proms performance on 24 August 2009 by Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, and Dénes Várjon.

[richardfinegold]

Listening to the new Bell-Denk-Isserlis currently as stated in the thread on that release. My favorites are the Suk Trio, Kalichstein-Laredo-Rose, and the Swiss Piano Trio on SACD

[MickyD]

Does anyone have a HIPP recording? I have the Benvenue Fortepiano Trio and see there is also a version by the admirable Tobias Koch which I'd like to hear.

[Darloboy]

BaL's programming is sometimes really annoying. The Mendelssohn Piano Trios were untouched for the first 43 years of the programme's existence. Then Jeremy Sams did a programme on Piano Trios 1 & 2 in May 2000 (Stern, Rose & Istomin were first choice). Then in May 2015 Harriet Smith did a programme on Piano Trio No. 1 (Julia Fischer, Muller-Schott & Gilad first choice - I've made a note that there were mentions of Alte Musik Köln's period version and the Van Baerle Trio's recording of the original version).

Less than 10 years later, with Harriet Smith's programme still available as a podcast, there is now going to be another programme on this piece. Surely once every 20 years (or less) would be more than sufficient for a chamber work like this. Putting it in perspective, the programme hasn't covered the Violin Concerto since 2004; Piano Concerto No. 1 since 1994 or no. 2 since 1986; Symphony No. 2 since 2009; Symphony No. 3 since 2008; the Midsummer Night's Dream music since 2005; the complete String Quartets since 2005; or Elijah since 2012. In my opinion, a programme on any of these works would have been preferable to another programme on this Piano Trio so soon after the last one.

Or even better, they could have done a programme on some music they haven't covered before, such as the String Symphonies; or the Double Piano Concerto; or Songs without Words; or even a survey of Mendelssohn's Lieder.

[Barbirollians]

That Bell-Isserlis-Denk version sounded good on MP3 auto rip before the CD was cancelled .

[vinteuil]

That Bell-Isserlis-Denk version sounded good on MP3 auto rip before the CD was cancelled .

... this one?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mendelssohn-Steven-Isserlis-Jeremy-Joshua/dp/B0DBRK2B4B

.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9663095--mendelssohn-piano-trios

[Barbirollians]

Yes

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Very fond of this work. I’ve played it in several different trios in the last 60 years. The finale’s a bit of a challenge; I’ve never heard it played at the published metronome speed.

[mikealdren]

Heifetz Rubinstein, Piatagorsky are pretty quick, I can't really imagine it any quicker.

[MickyD]

No comments on this yet? I haven't had a chance to listen but am wondering how this BAL went.

[Wolfram]

No comments on this yet? I haven't had a chance to listen but am wondering how this BAL went.

No complaints about the winner: Argerich/Capucon/Capucon, 2002. But, oh boy! was it a tedious listen. If it had been a televised football match and we had been shown the graphic at the foot of the screen illustrating the respective possession of the two teams, it would have been roughly 50/50 Katy Hamilton/AMG, which is far too much in his favour for a reviewer led feature.

[MickyD]

Oh dear, I don't feel very enticed to listen by those comments! Did any HIPP performance get a mention?

[Wolfram]

Oh dear, I don't feel very enticed to listen by those comments! Did any HIPP performance get a mention?

Yes, the Benvenue Fortepiano Trio, who were very good; as were many of the trios featured, particularly the van Bearle Trio, who I also liked a lot. But there really was too much of AMG this afternoon. To be honest I felt really sorry for KH: I just wanted to hear more of what she thought, and less of the thoughts of AMG.

I have just played the scherzo by the previous BAL winner, Julia Fischer, et al - who were not mentioned this afternoon - and they are every bit as light on their feet and scintillating as today’s winners.

[vinteuil]

...a tedious listen / ... / roughly 50/50 Katy Hamilton/AMG, which is far too much in his favour for a reviewer led feature.

... I agree that there was too much McGregor - but I didn't find it tedious : I think Katy Hamilton one of the best of the current reviewers, and I appreciated her insights (agreed with 'em, too). Good that she took seriously the HIPP recording ; and I liked her loyal affection for the Gould recording she had fallen in love with as a teenager.

Oh dear, I don't feel very enticed to listen

So, Micky - don't be put off - give it a chance!

[Wolfram]

... I agree that there was too much McGregor - but I didn't find it tedious : I think Katy Hamilton one of the best of the current reviewers, and I appreciated her insights (agreed with 'em, too). Good that she took seriously the HIPP recording ; and I liked her loyal affection for the Gould recording she had fallen in love with as a teenager.



So, Micky - don't be put off - give it a chance!

That sort of was my point. What I found tedious about it was AMG getting more and more expansive at the expense of his guest reviewer’s contribution. The extend to which he dominates the feature depends upon the particular reviewer. But the reviewer shouldn’t have to feel that they have to scrap to compete with him; how much better would Katy Hamilton’s insights have been if she had been allowed to finish a sentence once in a while.