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Louis SPOHR (1784 - 1859) Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op.123
Piano Trio No. 4 in B flat major, Op.133HARTLEY PIANO TRIO
Jacqueline Hartley violin · Lionel Handy cello
Caroline Clemmow pianoNAXOS 8.553205
[64'24"] budget-priceby Chia Han-Leon
I had a taste of Dvorak's delightful "Dumky" trio the other day, a CD which I found myself playing disproportionately more often than the other CDs I recently bought. Two weeks later, I could not resist looking for more piano trios, in a fit of curiosity over this delicious little musical form. Fate (and some research) brought my attention to, among other candidates by Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Beethoven, this disc of Louis Sphor's 2nd and 4th piano trios.
As I begun playing the disc at home, close to midnight, I experienced that feeling of anticipation, maybe a bit of trepidation, which we get when we're about to listen to a piece of music for the first time. Any fears I had about my S$9+ investment disappeared as the piano and cello joined in the violin's lyrical and gentle greeting in the opening movement of Piano Trio No.4.
Marked "Allegro", the movement hardly ever feels rushed, and instead seems to take its time savouring a pleasant walk through its themes. The piano often skips and flits about like a playful child as the violin and cello stroll along like a relaxing couple, indulging in occasional little dance twirls. The following Menuetto is alternatively gently urging and light-hearted, with more piano runs which Caroline Clemmow cleanly and pleasantly executes.
The third movement, Poco Adagio, is first hymn-like, then musing, mostly thoughtful and certainly very endearing. The dance which dominates this trio returns again in the finale. Although marked "Presto", it is a happily sustained piece which doesn't lose its breath. Spohr refered to it as Der Sprudelsatz ("The Bubble Piece") on account of the bubbling springs of Carlsbad, where he was visiting just before the time of the trio's completion, seeking help for a liver complaint. The cheerfulness of the piece no doubt indicates the outcome of the visit.
LOUIS SPOHR (nicely depicted on the right) invented the chin-rest for violin(ists), was one of the first to pick up a stick (OK - baton) to use as a conducting aid, made a well-known compilation for violin tutorship, was an advocate of the Romantic habit of travelling, wrote an autobiography, and is also the person all musicians should thank for the letter-markers in our scores. In addition, he was famous in the 19th century as a composer and a superb violinist, the creator of 10 symphonies, 18 violin concerti and 34 string quartets. And yet, he is hardly remembered beside contemporaneous names like Paganini, Weber, Rossini, Schubert, Chopin and Schumann. Not to mention that slightly earlier giant, Beethoven. But then, Louis Spohr was 6'7" tall! Listening to Piano Trio No.2, opening with its confident yet unassuming ease of melody, I wondered (again) why. (That is, why so many composers of good music remain relatively unknown.) The following Larghetto is meditative, a little melancholic. The violin, silent for the first 13 bars, enters magically, instantly adding worlds to the preceeding sonorities already dreamed up by the piano and cello.
The Scherzo begins waltz-like, dreamier than what one might expect from a scherzo ("joke") with a slight tinge of darkness. A playful little theme follows in the trio, still having intimate fun with the triple time rhythm. Listen to how Spohr naturally integrates the trio back to the scherzo material. The "Finale", marked Vivace, maintains the underplay of the extreme connotations of tempi marking. This movement is light-hearted, moving from a skipping theme to a lyrical second subject wonderfully fitted the piano-violin-cello partnership. The piece is almost carefree, full of lightness and light itself, so youthful that it doesn't betray Spohr's 60 years at the time of its composition.
RECORDED in a church acoustic, the sound on this CD is rather recessed and covers a little more air than might be appropriate for chamber music. Yet, at many points, I found it produced the effect of listening to a trio playing in the next room, with the music travelling through a large open doorway. Listening to it from a distance, I found this rather pleasantly undistracting. Unfortunately, the sound does favour the piano and violin over the cello, although their parts (especially Clemmow's beautiful runs) proved to be very attractive. The cello thus seems to offer a supporting, but very essential role - I hope to hear more of it as I re-explore this disc. Thanks anyway to cellist Lionel Handy, playing a Montagnana. The Hartley Trio is named after their violinist, Jacqueline Hartley, whose unassuming playing is a delight, if you don't like players who insist on stamping their personality all over the place. After all, if none of the names here (including Spohr) are familiar to you, then you could just let the music and music-making speak for itself. And ah, what delightful music!
This disc is available at or can be ordered from Tower (Pacific Plaza & Suntec City), HMV (The Heeren) or Borders (Wheelock Place).
Chia Han-Leon dwells in chambers dank and mysterious, concocting vast epics of rambling gobbledygook.
Back to the Classical Index!... or read previous classical music reviews and features at the InkpotOther classical music reviews by this or any other writer can be obtained from the InkVault by doing a key word search with the writer's name.
083: 8.8.97 ©Chia Han-Leon
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