The three savour their respective technical challenges but never lose sight of the totality and, with verve, are able to give the right emphasis to...

The three savour their respective technical challenges but never lose sight of the totality and, with verve, are able to give the right emphasis to the beautiful sound and to the biting musical language. (Ensemble) 4009850017400 TCET174.2 19547954 .00 23.99 .25 TACET RECORDS COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CHAMBER MUSIC & RECITALS 07/15/2009 http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/c/500/8/9/2/7/1997298.jpg 9 SMETANA / ABEGG TRIO PIANO TRIOS It's common knowledge among Janacek that the First String Quartet began life as a piano trio, most of which was either lost or destroyed. (...) Anyone who loves this composer will certainly want to hear it, and the Abegg Trio plays with the kind of commitment and passion that the music requires. (...) This fascinating experiment makes a fine foil to a similarly excellent performance of Smetana's strangely neglected single work in the trio medium. The Abegg manages to differentiate the tempos and emotional nuances of the first two movements (otherwise so similar) with notable success, and the Presto finale has an athletic vigor that comes from elasticity of rhythm and supple phrasing rather than mere speed. As usual, Tacet's sonics are gorgeous. Definitely worth a listen." (classics today)