Beethoven (1770-1827) Vidor Nagy Viola (*) first recordings
HERA HER2119 If a piano quartet's pianist needs a rest, or a programme could do with a lightening of texture, there are several string trios to choose from. But what to do if your violinist is unexpectedly unavailable? This CD offers an emergency kit, well worth exploring. The Beethoven trio (1795) is an alternative version of the Sextet which works well, and its history is traced in the notes on this project. Brahms specified viola as an alternative for the clarinet trio from the outset, likewise with the clarinet sonatas. Likewise did Zemlinsky for his early trio, influenced by Brahms and the young composer's teacher Fuchs (q.v. the new highly recommended Denisova/Kornienko disc Vienna around 1900). A must for violists, this CD is an original and thoughtful contribution to the recorded chamber music repertiore. You may need to adjust tone controls; I found the viola less bright on one of my players than I'd like, but it is sounding fine on my computer as I write.
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