Search - Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Jonathan Gilad :: Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]

YOUTH

GEORGE RANNIE | DENVER, COLORADO United States | 08/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This month in Aspen, Colorado, I had the immense pleasure of hearing two of the participants in this recording perform Beethoven's "Kreisler" Violin Sonata--Jonathan Gilad, piano and Julia Fischer, violin. These very young performers made such an impression on me in the aforesaid work that I purchased this recording of the Mendelssohn Piano Trios that also includes Daniel Müller-Schott on cello. Again I am very impressed with ALL of these performers. I love these works and Julia Fischer, violin, Jonathan Gilad, piano, and Daniel Müller-Schott, Cello play them splendidly performing them with passion and with marvelous youthful energy (the works are, after all, youthful Mendelssohn). Although, I own many recordings of the Mendelssohn Piano Trios, I found this recording immensely satisfying being filled with such vigor and with such beauty of tone--ah youth! A big plus is that the performers seem to be so keenly aware of each other forming a marvelous team. How so very exciting!



The sound of this PentaTone SACD disc is great displaying a very rich and full sound--"state of the art" I'm sure!



So if you want to hear how exciting chamber music can be, buy this disc.

"

Three Young Musical Lions in Superb Mendelssohn Piano Trios

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"None of the three instrumentalists on this piano trio CD has been around all that long -- they're all in their twenties -- but the word has been getting out about them for some time now. Violinist Julia Fischer has made the biggest splash on the strength of recordings of Bach solo works, Mozart piano sonatas, and three Russian concerti as well as some high-profile concert appearances in Europe and North America. Cellist Daniel Müller-Schott is not far behind with his muscular tone, tight vibrato and a sound of his own, and a recent CD of the Elgar and Walton concerti with André Previn and the Oslo Philharmonic. Jonathan Gilad is a little less-well known but he had a very successful début CD on EMI with music of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart. As far as I know this trio had not teamed up before, but whoever had the idea to get them together deserves a medal. All three of them are consummate chamber musicians on the evidence of this disc and, further, they appear to have the greatest respect for their trio partners. Fischer and Müller-Schott have a startling ability to match their tone to one another. Gilad's contribution sparkles and dances. Fischer, at the beginning of the rather somber first movement of the C Minor trio, reminds one startlingly of Rostropovich with a huge yet doleful sound.



The Mendelssohn Piano Trios, Op. 49 in D minor and Op. 66 in C Minor, have been recorded many times before, probably the No. 1 more often than the No. 2, and they have almost uniformly received excellent performances. Much acclaim has been heaped on some fairly recent recordings: the recent Beaux Arts Trio's second set of these works and the Florestan Trio's set. Many lovers of these works will remember an incandescent recording of the D Minor by the Stern/Rose/Istomin trio. There is even a poorly recorded by otherwise striking performance by the Cortot/Thibaud/Casals trio.



This group of young players do not take a backseat to any of the artists mentioned above. Their approach is fiery yet tender, flowing yet not afraid to linger at times. The trios have been accused of being lightweight by some snippy critics, but that charge certainly could not be leveled at these performances. These are big, muscular and spontaneous readings. There is some emphasis on the darker side of the music, especially in the C Minor, and yet they break free with a joyous élan in placed like the scherzo of the D Minor and the finale of the C Minor. The quotation of the Lutheran chorale 'Herr Gott, Dich fürchten wir alle' in that finale comes as an epiphany, one that is almost heart-breaking in its simplicity and sincerity.



The sound on this SACD disc is demonstration quality. The plain CD layer, although recorded at a somewhat lower dynamic level, is also quite good. I'm consistently impressed with the sound on these PentaTone hybrid SACD releases.



If you're in the market for a CD of these works, don't hesitate. This release joins with the greatest every made of these marvelous pieces.



Scott Morrison



"

An intoxicating recording

Serious Listener | CA, USA | 10/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These are excellent pieces, outstandingly played. The SACD sound has amazing presence. The quality of the music making and immediacy of the performance make this a disk to savor repeatedly. Indeed, friends for whom I've played this recording have asked to hear it again and again. Highly recommended!"