Legendary Treasures - Piano Trios / Gilels, Kogan, Et Al

$76.99
Label
Doremi
Release Date
August 7, 2007
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      HAYDN BEETHOVEN HAYDN
    • PERFORMER
      Gilels, Kogan, Rostropovich
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      August 07, 2007
    • UPC
      723721311353
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      DHR-7921-5
    • LABEL
      Doremi
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      5
    • GENRE
      Chamber Music & Recitals
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Allegro

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    2. II. Andantino più tosto allegretto

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    3. III. Vivace assai

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    4. I. Allegro moderato

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    5. II. Scherzo: Allegro

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    6. III. Andante cantabile ma pero con moto -

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    7. IV. Allegro moderato - Presto

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    8. I. Andante: Presto

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    9. II. Adagio ma non troppo

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    10. III. Presto

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    11. I. Allegro

      Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    12. II. Andante con variazioni

      Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    13. III. Allegretto

      Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    14. I. Allegro assai

      Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    15. II. Adagio

      Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    16. III. Rondeau: Tempo di Menuetto

      Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    17. I. Allegro moderato

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    18. II. Scherzo: Allegro ma non troppo

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    19. III. Rondo: Allegretto

      Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    20. I. Pezzo elegiaco: Moderato assai - Allegro giusto

      Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    21. II. Tema con variazioni: Andante con moto

      Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    22. I. Allegro vivace

      Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    23. II. Andante

      Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    24. III. Scherzo: Presto

      Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    25. IV. Allegro

      Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    26. I. Allegro

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    27. II. Andantino più tosto Allegretto

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    28. III. Vivace assai

      Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    29. I. Mit Energie und Leidenschaft

      Composer: Robert Schumann

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    30. II. Lebhaft, doch nicht zu rasch

      Composer: Robert Schumann

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    31. III. Langsam, mit inniger Empfindung

      Composer: Robert Schumann

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    32. IV. Mit Feuer

      Composer: Robert Schumann

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    33. I. Andante - Moderato

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    34. II. Allegro con brio

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    35. III. Largo

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    36. IV. Allegretto

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    37. I. Allegro con brio

      Composer: Alexander Borodin

      Performer: Dmitri Mikhailovich Tsiganov, Sergei Shirinsky, Emil Gilels

    38. II. Romance: Andante

      Composer: Alexander Borodin

      Performer: Dmitri Mikhailovich Tsiganov, Sergei Shirinsky, Emil Gilels

    39. III. Intermezzo: Tempo di minuetto

      Composer: Alexander Borodin

      Performer: Dmitri Mikhailovich Tsiganov, Sergei Shirinsky, Emil Gilels

    40. I. Allegro molto moderato

      Composer: Gabriel Fauré

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Rudolf Barshai, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    41. II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo

      Composer: Gabriel Fauré

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Rudolf Barshai, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    42. III. Adagio

      Composer: Gabriel Fauré

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Rudolf Barshai, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    43. IV. Allegro molto

      Composer: Gabriel Fauré

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Rudolf Barshai, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels

    44. I. Andante - Poco più animato

      Composer: Johannes Brahms

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Yakov Shapiro, Emil Gilels

    45. II. Scherzo: Allegro - Molto meno allegro - Allegro

      Composer: Johannes Brahms

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Yakov Shapiro, Emil Gilels

    46. III. Adagio mesto

      Composer: Johannes Brahms

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Yakov Shapiro, Emil Gilels

    47. IV. Finale: Allegro con brio

      Composer: Johannes Brahms

      Performer: Leonid Kogan, Yakov Shapiro, Emil Gilels




BEETHOVEN Piano Trios: in B?, “Archduke”; 1 in E?, WoO 38. 1 MOZART Piano Trios: in B?, K 254; 1 in G, K 564. 1 HAYDN Piano Trios: 1 in D, Hob XV:16; in g, Hob XV:19. TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Trio in a, op. 50. 1 SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio in e, op. 67. 1 SAINT-SAËNS Piano Trio in F, op. 18. 1 SCHUMANN Piano Trio in d, op. 63. 1 BORODIN Piano Trio, in D. 2 FAURÉ Piano Quartet, op. 15. 3 BRAHMS Trio for Piano, Violin, and Horn, op. 40 4 • Emil Gilels (pn); 1,2,3,4 Leonid Kogan (vn); 1,3,4 Mstislav Rostropovich (vc); 1,3 Dmitry Tziganov (vn); 2 Sergei Shirinsky (vc); 2 Rudolf Barshai (va); 3 Yakov Shapiro (hn) 4 • DOREMI 7921 (5 CDs: 344:47)


This impressive five-CD set from DOREMI presents a fascinating portrait of a splendid Soviet-era ensemble, whose members—pianist Emil Gilels, violinist Leonid Kogan, and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich—collaborated for more than a decade beginning in 1949. They are joined by violist Rudolf Barshai (with whom Kogan and Rostropovich formed a String Trio during the 1950s) in the first Fauré Quartet, and the horn-player Yakov Shapiro joins Gilels and Kogan in the Brahms Trio. The Borodin Trio that rounds out the set features Gilels with two of his earlier chamber music partners, violinist Dmitry Tziganov and cellist Sergei Shirinsky, both members of the Beethoven Quartet.


The least of these performances are very good and the best of them nothing short of brilliant. The “Archduke” Trio must be one of the finest on record. In the first movement development, the juxtaposition of string pizzicatos with the piano’s trills creates an uncanny, otherworldly atmosphere. When the recapitulation finally arrives, it seems not just a satisfying homecoming, but a deliverance from the outer realms of abstraction. The ensemble finesse in the Scherzo is breathtaking, while the spiritual depths of the unique Andante cantabile are plumbed with grace and reverence. The same sort of Apollonian approach that makes this reading of the “Archduke” so successful is applied to the Tchaikovsky trio, with stunning results. Even some of the most celebrated performances of this difficult work (the Rubinstein/Heifetz/Piatigorsky, RCA 63025 among them) narrowly skirt the maudlin. Here, however, the three Russians bring a sincerity and simplicity to Tchaikovsky’s every gesture, allowing his elegy for Nicolas Rubinstein to speak with eloquence, at once dignified, restrained, and heartfelt.


In the Schumann Trio, Gilels, Kogan, and Rostropovich achieve a prodigy of imaginative interpretation, all within the context of the most sophisticated and refined ensemble-playing. It is hard to imagine a more compelling conception of this impassioned score. They also approach Shostakovich’s eerily atmospheric Second Trio with the utmost conviction. The hectic second movement is a kinesthetic tour de force , while the finale’s unconventional oriental textures are deftly maneuvered to great effect.


Predictably, the Haydn and Mozart readings are less satisfactory. Generalizations are always dangerous, but perhaps it is not inaccurate to say that, prior to the inevitable cross-pollination with the West occurring during later decades through travel and recordings, Soviet musicians approached Haydn and Mozart with a prettified delicacy. The results can often sound mannered, if not downright bloodless, and light years away from what we consider appropriate late-18th century style today. One case in point is the weepy vibrato Kogan employs in the sustained passages of the plaintive Andante opening of the Haydn G-Minor Trio; another is the flaccid Allegretto of the Mozart G-Major Trio, where phrase shapes are obliterated by an anachronistic effort to achieve the late-19th century ideal of the “long line.” Despite these reservations, even the 18th-century repertoire is of historical interest: this is the way this music was played behind the Iron Curtain in the years following WW II.


The sound of these recordings is consistent with the technological resources of Melodiya (the original issuing label) during the 1950s. Most were studio recordings, but some were live performances. One can discern the improvement of equipment and recording techniques between the earliest of the performances (the Tchaikovsky Trio, 1950) and the latest (the Shostakovich, 1959). Though the sound is flattened-out relative to modern standards, balances are superb, and no detail seems lost. The accompanying leaflet contains thumbnail bios of the principal artists as well as the works and timings, but no information on the matrices (beyond photographic reproductions of the record labels) or the transfer process. All in all, fascinating performances of representative repertoire by master musicians. Highly recommended.


FANFARE: Patrick Rucker