Search - Shostakovich, Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio :: Chamber Music

Fabulous!

Neil Lewis | Kitchener, Ontario Canada | 07/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have recordings of all the symphonies, concertos, chamber works and vocal cycles of Shostakovich, and this CD is, without a doubt, my favorite. The pieces, spanning his entire lifespan, are exquisite, some of his best (his viola and violin sonatas are perhaps unsurpassed in his oeuvre). The playing time is generous, filling both discs. And the performances are marvelous; I often find myself holding my breath in stunned admiration of the peerless beauty of them. Their subtle nuances, vibrancy, life and structure communicate the depth of Shostakovich's art like no other, giving delicate voice to both the anguished humanity and compositional genius. Laredo, Robinson and Kalichstein bring these wonderful compositions to life and are enough to recommend the disc wholeheartedly, with the full five stars. On top of all of that is the budget price, and the liner notes, which are of the best kind, allowing a deeper appreciation of the music through well-told and chosen biographical details of the composer and near-poetic descriptions of the music. On the whole, this disc is an absolute gem. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Get it now and experience it for yourself!"

Putting the record straight

Laura Hills | Surrey, UK | 02/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The second trio was composed on the death of his closest friend confidante and critic Sollertinsky in 1940. Although later critics unaware of the chronolgy suggest that it is a lament for the deaths of the holocaust because of its affinity with his later work based on jewish melodies which do remember the specifically jewish dead, the facts dont hold up. Russia itself had been a giant prison camp during the thirties and the composer had lost friends and supporters to Stalin's purges, barely preserving itself, remember at least 25million died under Stalin. Shostakovich loss resonating within a society in terror is commemorated. The greatness is in the work. That it is an act of mourning for a particular friend was noticed by people who knew both, how the impassioned cadences of both men's idiosyncratic conversational styles permeate, particularly in the dialogue between piano and cello."

Simply the best of the best

Justin Weaver | 07/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Viola Sonata, op. 147 is Shostakovich's last and best work. It may well be the best work ever written by anyone. Freed from any lingering desires to please anyone but himself, Shostakovich composed the type of music a dying man writes when he knows he will never hear it performed: simply, direct, passionate, sincere. Having op. 147 brilliantly performed is reason alone to buy this CD. Throw in the amazing partially dodecaphonic Violin Sonata, the Cello Sonata and the two trios and you've got one amazing deal."