Schumann: Fantasiestucke/Piano Trio

Schumann's chamber music, with the exception of the well-known Op. 44 Piano Quintet, deserves to be much better known than it is. The three works recorded here are not encountered very often in the repertoire, possibly with the exception of the Op. 47 Piano Quartet.

The last work to be composed actually comes first on the CD, the G minor Piano Trio #3, Op. 110. It's a late work which is sadly almost never played. I admit that I'm still not quite convinced by the Scherzo (third movement) and the last movement, but the first movement is very fine, in mood not unlike the first movement of the D minor Piano Trio #1, and the slow movement is, as always with Schumann, beautiful. Throughout there are many interesting examples of Schumann's love of counterpoint. I'm very glad to have gotten this CD; as a amateur pianist who enjoys playing chamber music, it's always good to a find an attractive, little-known work.

Next up is the earliest work, the Op. 88 Fantasiestücke, which despite the "late" opus number were actually written in 1842, in Schumann's "year of chamber music," when he produced the string quartets, the Piano Quintet, and the Piano Quartet. Schumann called them "fantasy pieces" rather than "piano trio," but the four individual pieces can be thought of as movements of a "Piano Trio #0," since they were written before the three piano trios. They are rather Haydn-esque, with the piano dominating in all except the "slow movement" (the third piece of the set), which is quite lovely.

For me the highlight is the Op. 47 Quartet, a work which has been unfairly overshadowed by the Quintet which preceded it. Like the Quintet it's also in E-flat major, but the first movement is altogether more nervous, a darker kind of passion than the outgoing Quintet. The scherzo is short and tricky; I'll leave it at that. The slow movement which follows is absolutely glorious, one of the most beautiful things in the entire chamber music repertoire, with a deeply eloquent main theme. The last movement is thrilling, with tons of counterpoint everywhere. The Florestan Trio performs this work superbly: their tempos, except for a first movement which is just a bit too fast, are very well judged. In this and the other works, their playing is technically assured and imaginative, full of flair. Most of all, they sound convinced by the works, which is never to be taken for granted in Schumann's lesser-known works. The recording itself is demonstration quality, ideally balanced.

I'll conclude by saying that you should definitely take a chance on the repertoire (if you're not familiar with it) and buy this CD. And, you should also get the Florestan Trio's other Schumann CD, with the first two piano trios, which is absolutely fantastic.

I've heard it said that British ensemble, The Florestan Trio, should be the next legendary piano trio to succeed the esteemed Beaux Arts Trio (with original pianist Mehahem Pressler now in his 50th year!). Now having heard much of the Floristan's "Romantic repertoire" along with most of the Beaux Arts Trio's recordings, I have to say this is indeed a fair conclusion. Also, the more modern Hyperion recordings of the Florestan's performances are often of a higher quality than the older Philips' Beaux Arts discs - another consideration for those who weight sound quality high.

While the first two Schumann Trios No. 1 & 2 on the companion disc get more attention (along with the more popular Op. 44 Quintet), the third Piano Trio and Piano Quartet Op. 47 here are also enjoyable and musically interesting. The highlight surely must be the Piano Quartet op. 47 with its exciting outer movements, gorgeous cello writing in Andante Cantabile slow movement and thrilling Mendelssohn-like Scherzo. In the latter, the Florestans bring the needed precision, articulation, delicacy-of-touch and rhythmic drive to make the movement glorious. The closing Vivace is an ending worth waiting for with its attractive and overflowing canonic part writing. Perhaps the only weakness is the rather sappy melody of the Andante, but such is quintessentially Schumann romantic innocence.

While the late G-minor Trio No. 3 might be more aloof than its first two siblings, a closer study reveals rewarding rich contrapunctal passages of great skill and finesse along with some memorable episodes. It might take a few hearings to connect with its core, but there is something definately attractive and musical here. Equally, the Op. 88 "fantasy" pieces for trio are full of warm-hearted, soaring melodies especially from the cello that makes it immediately likeable. Altogether, the Florestans present Schumann's music with warmth, a flowing lyricism and appropriate vigor but without an overdone romantic appeal. Susan Tomes in particular is a superb, highly prolific chamber musician who has risen to the top-of-the-field whose pianism always seems well-judged, light and sparkling, never overwhelming and tonally attractive. Also, a plus is the Hyperion sound engineering here which is crisp, clear, warmly hued, bold, no hiss and nothing to cite as deficient. This is an equally admirable disc to the companion of Trios No. 1 and 2. I would say I like it even more. Compositions - 4.5 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound quality - 5 stars.

If you are not familiar with the Florestans, give their other recordings a listen. Their level of musicianship is very high, and they really shine in the Romantic-era chamber genre. Along with the Domus Quartet (Florestan + 1), their recordings of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Faure, Schubert and Schumann are at the top of the available choices with many having won several awards like Penguin's "Rosette" or the Gramophone "Gold" Award.

And in case you did not know, the name "Florestan" refers to one of the two creative, literary "pen names" that Robert Schumann used in his music criticism writings in the German music press to attack the bourgeois tastes of the era. "Florestan" was the free-spirited, positive artist who opposed restraint and favored expansion in music where "Eusebius" was the introverted, reflective force that upheld strict classical traditions.

One very welcome example of musicians who set out to make, not something original, but something good. I don't agree with the comparison to Beaux Arts, because the present reading of the piano quartet op. 47 is much more like the Juillard/Gould and the piano trios show differences in the same directions. The Florestans are only a little inferior to the clean cut Juillard/Gould, but the modern sound is of course better. The piano trios in the Beaux Arts-performance are more romantic, by the Florestan more sober, more clean, and feel more right. Actually I knew them only by the Beaux Arts and this is a great improvement. So as I prefer the piano quartet by Gould/Juillard, I love the piano trios by Florestan. Here there is only one trio. I cannot compare to anything when it comes to die Fantasiestuecken, but it feels perfect.
Almost everything on this CD is 5 star. The piano quartet is more than 4 stars, the finale builds up to a 5, the andante cantabile is a certain 5, whereas the first two movements unfortunatly are not as good as the Gould/Juillard. I got this CD only for the piano trio op. 110 and the Fantasiestuecke op. 88 and am very happy with that. I guess it is almost as good as it gets, as much of the piano quartet keeps the same high standard as my beloved Gould/Juillard...

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  4.8 out of 5 stars