Beaux Arts Trio - Dvorak : Piano Trio No 4, "Dumky" & Mendelssohn : Piano Trio No 1 on CD

Description

“Among the world’s piano trios, there is none better.” (Time Magazine) In its debut recording for Warner Classics, the legendary Beaux Arts Trio recreates its very first recording, made 50 years ago in 1954. For half a century, the Trio has been delighting audiences around the world. “The Beaux Arts Trio has retained its almost utopian level of music making; high drama and poignant understatement coexisted in perfect balance. The reining-in and release of tension was masterful and, throughout, the sense of discovery was palpable.” (The Washington Post) When the Beaux Arts Trio started to perform together, it was rare to hear the piano trio repertoire well prepared. Most groups were made up of soloists who came together occasionally to play a limited repertoire. What made the Beaux Arts Trio special was that they performed the widest possible repertoire with the skill of soloists and the tight ensemble usually heard only from quartets. The original line-up of the Beaux Arts Trio consisted of violinist Daniel Guilet, cellist Bernard Greenhouse and pianist Menahem Pressler. When Daniel Guilet retired in 1969 at the age of 70, the other Trio members chose Isidore Cohen as his replacement. Now Cohen and Greenhouse have both retired and violinists Ani Kavafian and Dong-Suk Kang have come and gone, as has the cellist Peter Wiley. Menahem Pressler has remained, maintaining the Beaux Arts Trio’s quality and acting as elder statesman to British violinist Daniel Hope and Brazilian cellist Antonio Meneses. Over the years the Beaux Arts Trio has maintained its freshness while preserving its distinctive musical heritage.