Enrique Granados - Piano Trio; Piano Quintet (LOM Piano Trio)

Information

Composer: Enrique Granados

• Piano Trio, Op. 50
• Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 49
• Goyescas: Intermezzo (arr. for Trio by Gaspar Cassadó)

LOM Piano Trio

    Joan Orpella, violin

    José Mor, cello

    Daniel Ligorio, piano

&

Manuel Porta Gallego, violin

Joaquín Riquelme García, viola

Date: 2010

Label: Naxos

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Review

I thought myself fairly well versed in the piano trios and quintets – my two favourite chamber combinations – of the well-known composers, but these two had slipped through the net until now. Mind you, record labels haven’t exactly been flooding the market with recordings either. ArkivMusic lists four recordings of the trio and three of the quintet.

Both of the main works here come from the same year, in a decade when Granados was establishing himself both as a composer and concert pianist. It was during this period that he was part of a piano trio that had Pablo Casals as its cellist.

Not unexpectedly, the two pieces have a great deal in common. They are on the lighter end of the spectrum for their era, but don’t be misled into thinking that they are simple salon pieces. The Spanish flavour is there, but not strongly so. They overflow with beautiful melodies, particularly in the piano part, again not unexpectedly. Find this recording on one of the online sites that offers a preview — or on the Naxos Music Library, if you have access — and listen to the opening minute or so of the trio: a seemingly simple, but quite breathtakingly lovely piano melody begins the piece. Not convinced yet: try the second movement of the quintet. The Cassadó arrangement of the Intermezzo from Goyescas is more often heard in its cello and piano version – this is a fine way to finish the recording.

This isn’t a new release, as can be seen from the catalogue number and recording dates. The competition in each work is small, but each has a big name: the Beaux Arts Trio (trio) and Martha Argerich and friends from the 2010 Lugarno festival (quintet). I doubt the performances by this all-Spanish group would be shaded too much by their notable rivals, and you get both works on the same disc here. Even in the mp3 format, the sound quality is very detailed and immediate, as though one was in the front few rows at a concert. The booklet notes are typical of Naxos – succinct but informative. My only gripe would be the short playing time. It is true that Granados wrote little chamber music and that the few short works for violin and piano appear elsewhere on Naxos, but there is a Madrigal for cello and piano that could have been included.

— David Barker

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Enrique Granados (27 July 1867 – 24 March 1916) was a Spanish composer and pianist from Catalonia. A student of Felipe Pedrell, he rose to prominence with his Danzas españolas and soon established himself as one of Spain's foremost pianists. In addition to his celebrated piano works, Granados also composed several operas and founded a piano academy in Barcelona. Deeply influenced by 18th-century and Spanish artistic traditions, he created the renowned Goyescas, inspired by the paintings of Francisco Goya. Granados's life ended tragically when the Sussex was torpedoed during his return voyage from New York.

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Since its debut in 2001, the LOM Piano Trio has earned a distinguished place in Spanish music, attracting strong interest from audiences and promoters alike. Praised by renowned musicians such as Lluís Claret, Antoni Ros Marbà and Bernard Greenhouse, the ensemble has won numerous awards, including first prizes at the 2003 Paper de Música de Capellades, 2004 Montserrat Alavedra, and 2004 International Music Tournament in France. Their acclaimed recordings include works by Roberto Gerhard, Enrique Granados, Agustí Borgunyó and Dmitri Shostakovich, and the complete piano trios of Tomás Bretón for Naxos.

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