Herzogenberg: Piano Trios No 1 & 2 / Atos Trio
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HERZOGENBERG Piano Trios: No. 1; No. 2 • ATOS Tr • cpo 777335 (64:06) Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843–1900) isn’t exactly a household name, nor are...
HERZOGENBERG Piano Trios: No. 1; No. 2 • ATOS Tr • cpo 777335 (64:06)
Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843–1900) isn’t exactly a household name, nor are these trios familiar territory for many listeners. I found them to be nice music in the Brahmsian mold, well written and attractive in both mood and expression, just not quite as good as Brahms or as original as the music of Josef Rheinberger. Herzogenberg was by no means an untalented composer; I’d much rather hear these works than a great many by more famous composers that lack their sparkle or charm. And sparkle and charm they most certainly have; though none of the themes are particularly memorable, all are well crafted and developed with fine attention to melodic and rhythmic variance. There are quite a few surprises along the way, too, such as the sprightly 6/8 dance in the midst of the opening Allegro of the first trio. As an original review of the first trio put it, “The main themes . . . do not exactly come forward with compelling force but immediately gain favor, are finely invented and warmly felt, and are conveyed more delightfully to us by an extremely skillful and frequently very appealing elaboration.” That, to me, is a perfect description of that trio, in fact of both trios on this CD.
I personally felt that Herzogenberg’s weakness came in the Andante movements, well made but somewhat old-fashioned, almost Schubertian in language but not as emotionally convincing. The ATOS Trio does a very fine job with them, however, so if you’re looking for rousing good German piano trios to puzzle your friends over in a game of “guess the composer,” these will provide ample surprises indeed. There do not appear to be any other recordings of these works available. Recommended highly for performance and sound quality, which are clean and natural, with the slight reservations noted above for the music itself.
FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
Product Description:
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Release Date: March 25, 2008
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UPC: 761203733521
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Catalog Number: 777335-2
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Label: CPO
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Number of Discs: 1
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Period: CPO
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Composer: Heinrich Herzogenberg
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Orchestra/Ensemble: ATOS Trio
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Performer: Annette von Hehn, Stefan Heinemeyer, Thomas Hoppe