Schubert: Piano Trios Opp. 99 & 100

the players catch just the right Schubertian balance of poise and profundity … There is never any lack of momentum … There’s plenty of colour, from subtly glassy on-the-bridge effects to a full-on... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2017, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 23rd Sep 2016
Catalogue No: HMC902233/34
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Length: 97 minutes

BBC Music Magazine

January 2017

Chamber Choice
Diapason d’Or

November 2016

d'Or

This release includes a digital booklet

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Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major, D898

Work length41:57

$5.20

$6.50

$7.60

I. Allegro moderato

Track length14:45

$1.60

$2.00

$2.35

II. Andante un poco mosso

Track length11:01

$1.40

$1.75

$2.05

III. Scherzo-Allegro

Track length6:46

$1.00

$1.25

$1.45

IV. Rondo-Allegro-vivace

Track length9:25

$1.20

$1.50

$1.75

Schubert: Notturno in E flat major for piano trio, D897 (Op. post.148)

Work length9:38

$1.20

$1.50

$1.75

Adagio

Track length9:38

$1.20

$1.50

$1.75

Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major, D929

Work length45:29

Album only

I. Allegro

Track length16:03

Album only

II. Andante con moto

Track length9:27

$1.20

$1.50

$1.75

III. Scherzando. Allegro moderato

Track length6:40

$1.00

$1.25

$1.45

IV. Allegro moderato

Track length13:19

$1.60

$2.00

$2.35

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"One glance at Schubert’s trio, and the miserable hustle and bustle of human existence vanishes, the world takes on fresh lustre", wrote Robert Schumann in 1836 of Schubert’s Piano Trio D898. He was equally admiring of the Viennese composer’s other great trio, D929, notably its funeral march-like Andante con moto, later to achieve cinematic fame in Kubrick’s 'Barry Lyndon'.

Here three peerless interpreters bring out every nuance of these endlessly fascinating works on their ‘period instruments’, including a splendid copy of an 1827 Viennese fortepiano.

Reviews

January 2017

the players catch just the right Schubertian balance of poise and profundity … There is never any lack of momentum … There’s plenty of colour, from subtly glassy on-the-bridge effects to a full-on stamping and jangling the scherzo of Op. 100 … A gorgeously sustained account of the Nocturne (D897) completes this set.

21st October 2016

Staier’s fortepiano (a Christopher Clarke instrument of 1996 after an 1827 Viennese original) is a joy, bringing lightness and a quickness of touch everywhere. These are poetic performances lit by shimmering beauties. Schubert’s one-movement Notturno, D897, is the obvious and sublime filler.

November 2016

Three leading period instrumentalists play three of the finest chamber works of the early 19th century, and the disc is a surefire winner…it’s Schubert as you’ve almost certainly never heard it before…add to that their first-class playing – not only their technical mastery in these stamina-sapping scores but also their cheeky ornamentation and deadpan comic timing – and you have a recording of the trios that’s worth returning to again and again

2nd November 2016

The new recording on period instruments adds an extra dimension which makes me inclined now to rate it as my top choice…Staier plays on a modern copy of an 1827 Graf fortepiano and once again it’s the choice of instrument that proves very winning… The playing throughout is crystal clear and the recording captures that clarity superbly.

23rd October 2016

Staier and his fortepiano (a modern copy of a Conrad Graf instrument) gave me continual pleasure...The performances are full of fine touches, and in the E flat trio’s andante, the players bring out the music’s eerie strangeness marvellously.

2nd October 2016

The period instruments here, led by a crystal-clear copy of an 1827 Graf piano with a pinging staccato, thin out the music and lend it a brittle, sharp attack. The funeral march of the E flat Trio Op 100 is especially striking.

Classical Music December 2016

Conceived on the grandest scale, these works have not been unfortunate on disc: this newcomer, nevertheless, is one of the most penetrating of recent years…the unanimity extends beyond just the sound; these are striking, vital performances, the ensemble’s clarity allowing tremendous detail without sacrificing Schubert’s carefully moulded lines

Irish Times 3rd November 2016

One of the joys of these new period instruments performances is the way the three instruments can both blend and stand out from one another, and the filigree of Andreas Staier’s fortepiano is a wonder in itself. The sound world may be a little leaner and more austere than usual, but the players accommodate it beautifully to the music’s geniality and melancholy, as well as its climactic rushes.

The Arts Desk 22nd October 2016

They receive superb period-instrument performances on this pair of discs. Sensible listeners will be grinning at Daniel Sepec’s unfussy delivery of the B flat trio’s opening theme, and purring with pleasure when Andreas Staier repeats it a minute or so later...The balance throughout is impeccable, the fortepiano never overpowering the solo strings.

The Classical Reviewer 4th December 2016

These performances rise above any issues of preference between modern and period instruments. This is very fine Schubert indeed from a real partnership of instrumentalists

Classical Ear 26th October 2016

The traditional view of Schubert’s two piano trios tends towards ebullience (Op 99) as opposed to austerity (Op 100). Fortepianist Andreas Staier and friends forge a gleaming bridge that brings them closer together, the B flat buoyant and flexible, the E flat somewhat more animated than usual … Exceptional in every respect.

Record Review 22nd October 2016

the copy of a Conrad Graff piano from Vienna 1827 brings a new balance with the strings, biting attack and a silvery clarity … the recording…gives a lovely, fresh bloom to the sound, and these performances lack neither scale nor passion. I found them deeply satisfying musically … beautifully done.

Schubert: Piano Trios Opp. 99 & 100

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