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Shostakovich 25th Anniversary Edition
Piano Trio No. 1, op. 8; Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67; Seven songs on poems by Alexander Blok, for soprano, piano, violin and cello, op. 127[a].
The Moscow Trio: Alexander Bonduriansky (piano), Vladimir Ivanov (violin), Mikhail Utkin (cello); Natalia Gerassimova (soprano)[a].
Saison Russe RUS 7288088. DDD. TT 71:51.
Recorded Moscow Conservatory, 28-30 September & 30 November 1993.
Unlike the majority of volumes in the 25th Anniversary Edition, this is a modern recording, and as such competes with a dauntingly large number of all-digital releases rather than with historical performances like the Oistrakh Trio's version of Piano Trio No. 2, reviewed below. The programme is identical to that on a recent Hungaroton disc reviewed in DSCH No. 13 (HCD 31780).
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The Moscow Trio take a brisk jaunt through the First Trio's fairy-tale opening, with angular articulation in the single-movement work's modernist sections. By a hair, I award the medal to the Bartos Trio on Hungaroton, who are just a shade sweeter in the more Impressionistic passages, and ever so slightly more sure-footed rhythmically. Still, the Moscow Trio turn in an enjoyable performance. There is only a very narrow range of desirability among the many available recordings of this lightweight opus, with little basis for preferring one to another. Selection of one Trio disc or another will most likely be based on what else is on the menu.
On the present disc, the deciding variable is the Second Trio, which opens promisingly as a plaintive murmur before plunging in fearlessly. Mikhail Utkin's cello contribution is outstanding, especially his flawless sounding of multiple stops (listen to the opening and close of the movement). In this movement, all three players exhibit greater tonal robustness and rhythmic flexibility than displayed in the First Trio.
One senses a leash restraining the second movement, as if its impulses to flight are being thwarted. This sensation of being grounded is reinforced by the heavy stress that Utkin and Vladimir Ivanov place on the first notes of the many descending two-note cells that the score demands be slurred on a single up-bow. This has the effect of anchoring the second notes.
It takes a few hearings for the logic of the Moscow Trio's interpretation of the third movement to become apparent, for it is driven in what initially seems too low a gear. On repeated auditions, however, this becomes appreciated as a way to create a large enough volume to contain the heart-rending emotions within. Furthermore, the players invest the lament with enough impetus to keep it moving forward. The Moscow Trio tell the tale of a traumatised survivor, grief arising from remembrance of past rather than present events. They reduce their tempo from the muted climax of the movement to its end, but this effect is applied so gradually that it is only perceptible as exhaustion.
Similarly, most of the final movement seems too slow at first, but greater familiarity with the performance brings acceptance, as the slow tempos pave the way for an accelerando into the penultimate repetition of the Jewish "dance of death" theme, which feels claustrophobic. We return to the plodding gait for the final repetition of the theme, which the Moscow Trio now hammer out so brutally that you can practically see the stomping jackboots.
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This is a carefully laid-out account, offering a different viewpoint than any of its competitors. It is a viewpoint deserving of repeated hearing, and I will be taking it off the shelf often, even though it does not displace my top recommendation, the Vienna Piano Trio's transcendent performance on Nimbus (NI 5572, reviewed in DSCH No. 11).
A fine performance of the Blok Songs makes this an even more attractive release. Natalia Gerassimova's smooth intonation is ravishing in the opening Ophelia's Song, whereas her fiery-eyed shrieking of Gamayun, bird of prophecy is truly terrifying; the two cats who live with me flee the room in panic whenever I play this track! Gerassimova's voice possesses a silvery gloss as compared with Galina Vishnevskaya's brassy timbre on BMG/Melodiya (74321 53237 2). In this, Gerassimova is similar to Hungaroton's Maria Aszodi. Indeed, the two younger singers are quite evenly matched in this work, especially in the violent songs Gamayun and The Storm. Perhaps Gerassimova's sadness in We Were Together and Secret Signs is more resigned, Aszodi's emotions being felt more keenly. Except in the final song, Music, Gerassimova also admits less vibrato, while her singing of The Town Sleeps has an aristocratic beauty to it, differing from Aszodi's earthier rendition. The Moscow Trio provide responsive support throughout.
The notes give English and French translations of the Blok Songs, but not the original Russian. Despite that weakness, this release is a valuable addition to the discography, and is now a real bargain at the reissue's asking price.
DSCH No. 14.
Copyright © 2001 DSCH Journal.
All Rights Reserved.
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