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Thu, 4 Feb 1999 23:29:22 PST |
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These early Beethoven chamber works are so good that I'm always surprised
when I hear them. They don't possess the trail-blazing qualities or
profundity of mature Beethoven. Those features are replaced by a
delightful innocence and further bridging between the classical and early
romantic periods.
Hyperion has released two discs which contain Beethoven's four string
trios and serenade. The performers are the Leopold Trio, and they are
professional. Tempos are judicious, intonation is fine, and recorded sound
is acceptable. However, the recorded competition brings a deadly failing
to the table.
For comparison, I used L'Archibudelli on Sony Vivarte and
Mutter/Rostropovich/Giuranna on DG. The Mutter has an exhilarating
bounce and joy that is infectious. The Leopold is somewhat flat and
stodgy; never is there any lift to it. Going to the L'Archibudelli, on
period instruments, we find similar qualities to the Mutter with any
significant differences attributable to faster tempos by the
L'Archibudelli.
Summing up, I really can't think of any good reason to acquire the Leopold
Trio recordings. Gramophone thought better of them, using words such as
"breadth" and "serenity." Don't be fooled by that review. These are
youthful works - hardly the time to sit back and remember old days; it's
the time to explore in a naive fashion and display some reckless abandon.
The Mutter and L'Archbudelli understand this well. The Leopold and
Gramophone don't have a clue.
Don Satz
[log in to unmask]
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