Search - Taneyev, Borodin Trio :: Pinao Trio in D

Powerful stuff from a lesser-known master

Evan Wilson | Cambridge, Massachusetts United States | 12/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov may have written soulful and beautiful piano trios, but for my money Sergei Taneyev's D Major Trio tops them both. Although written in 1906, this piece is basically sophisticated Russian romanticism which eschews excessive chromaticism in favor of a harmonic palatte which doesn't extend much beyond Brahms. But, Brahms never wrote music as intensely passionate as this. Tanayev manages to make the trio sound positively orchestral in places and yet, there are many delicate and relaxed passages which reveal both his melodic instinct and his sense of color. When you reach the glorious D Major peroration you feel as if you've travelled through a complete universe and reached the other side extremely enriched. This is great music and it should be on your shelf, even if the playing time on this disc is woefully short. (Why is there only one version of this available?) The Borodin Trio really digs into the music with echt-Russian passion and it speaks for them. Perhaps they go overboard in places, but the music is so strong it can stand that treatment. The sound is great as well. Don't miss it!!"