Beethoven Piano Trios
May 2021
Beethoven wrote six trios for piano, violin, and cello. The first three are grouped in Op.1 (composed between twenty-three and twenty-five years), the next two in Op.70 (from 1808) and Op.97 Archduke, whose first version, from 1811, was revised two years later.
The music was written for a virtuoso pianist whose talents would push his string-playing colleagues to new heights of brilliance. This performance convenes musicians just as special. Daniel Barenboim – named by Fortune Magazine as one of ‘The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ – is joined by his violinist son Michael and the cellist Kian Soltani, both former members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
This album from Deutsche Grammophon, was recorded in Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, with the sound that fills the concert hall but at the same time creates the feeling of an intimate dialog between Barenboim, his son Michael, and cellist Kian Soltani.
To bring Beethoven’s opulent score to life, Daniel Barenboim’s lifetime’s experience not only in playing and conducting Beethoven, but in thinking and rethinking about this music, definitely makes the difference. The directs the operation with great musical depth, providing a prodigious catalogue of nuances, his stylistic purity and a prodigious chiaroscuro. The understanding between the three musicians is absolute because each of them listen to each other, making authentic chamber music, listening, encouraging, and responding as equals.
The syncopated exchange between Michael Barenboim and Soltani is especially remarkable in the sixth variation of on “Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu and the nonchalant two-part writing, again between violin and cello, in the seventh. Soltani’s combination of the moving and commanding is notable. Throughout, detail and a sense of whole can be found in a perfect harmony.
As a result, there’s a marvellous ensemble, which catches the essence of Beethoven’s compositions and keeps a sense of spontaneity. A rightfully popular Beethoven release, which would be cherished by classical music lovers. Highly recommended.
– David Smith
