Various Composers - History of the Russian Piano Trio, Vol. 4 (The Brahms Trio)

Information

• Anton Arensky - Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32
• Sergei Taneyev - Piano Trio in D major, Op. 22

The Brahms Trio

    Nikolai Sachenko, violin

    Kirill Rodin, cello

    Natalia Rubinstein, piano

Date: 2021

Label: Naxos

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Review

On their walk through the history of the Russian piano trio, the Brahms Trio has now arrived at the fourth installment. With Anton Arensky and Sergey Tanejev, they have now found two composers who might only secondarily come to mind when Western European audiences are asked to name Russian composers. These artists, who can be placed chronologically between Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, are characterized in their compositions by extended themes and elegiac atmospheric pictures. In doing so, they follow more in the footsteps of their predecessor Tchaikovsky than in looking for new musical possibilities. In these works, listeners are immediately taken on a journey to this giant empire beginning in Eastern Europe.

The playing of the Brahms Trio also contributes to this. After more than thirty years of exploring the landscapes of the piano trio together, the Brahms Trio has lost none of its original intensity in playing. One would almost think that each movement could be the last one they play, so they kneel into the music and let it glow. But this devotion leads not only to powerful expressions in the sense of loudness, but also to very quiet and calm moments, which, however, lose nothing of their tension or to which diminished attention would be paid. Thus, they perform the two works recorded here in such an engaging manner that the musical significance of these composers becomes immediately clear.

Their performance is supported by sound engineering that balances the instruments and allows the structural clarity to be heard. Perhaps the great hall of the Moscow Conservatory, which has witnessed so many great artists, was an added inspiration as a recording venue.

-- Uwe Krusch

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Anton Arensky ( 12 July 1861 – 25 February 1905) was a Russian composer, pianist and teacher. A student of Tchaikovsky, Arensky composed in various genres, including symphonic works, chamber music, choral music, and operas. His most famous work is perhaps the Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a. Arensky's music blends Russian folk elements with lush, romantic harmonies, though it is often overshadowed by his contemporaries. He held teaching positions at the Moscow Conservatory and influenced many students, such as Alexander Scriabin, Sergei Rachmaninov and Alexander Grechaninov.

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Sergei Taneyev (25 November 1856 – 19 June 1915) was a Russian composer, pianist, and educator, considered one of the leading figures in late Romantic Russian classical music. A student of Tchaikovsky at the Moscow Conservatory, he composed symphonies, chamber music, choral works, and a piano concerto. He also made significant contributions as a teacher, serving as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory and influencing composers such as Scriabin and Rachmaninov. While his music was often overshadowed by contemporaries like Tchaikovsky, Taneyev's works are now recognized for their complexity and depth.

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The Brahms Trio is one of the leading chamber ensembles of Russia, a piano trio that unites violinist Nikolai Sachenko – Gold Medal at the XI Tchaikovsky Competition, cellist Kirill Rodin – Gold Medal at the VIII Tchaikovsky Competition, and pianist Natalia Rubinstein – First Prize at the Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition. Founded in Moscow in 1988, the Brahms Trio has performed worldwide and has recorded much of Russian piano trio repertoire. The Trio made a contribution to enlarging the chamber repertoire by rediscovering unknown piano trios of Russian composers of the late-19th and early-20th century.

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