Beethoven
Complete Works for Piano Trio
The five volumes of the Beethoven survey by the Van Baerle Trio are now available in a box set.
It includes the three youthful Piano Trios op. 1, the two great Trios op. 70, the absolute masterpiece which is the Trio op. 97, named Archduke.
Together with such ‘official’ and original works, there are also Beethoven’s own transcriptions of his own works: the Clarinet Trio op. 11, the Trio arrangements of the Septet op. 20 and of the Symphony no. 2. You will also find some light, occasional pieces like the Allegrettos in E-flat and in B-flat, the Variations op. 44 and op. 121a. The most unexpected work included in the box is the Triple Concerto, performed with the Residentie Orkest The Hague and conductor Jan Willem de Vriend, as the musicians consider it as a real piece of ‘augmented’ chamber music.
Please have a look at the individual recordings for more specific information on the repertoire and its reception by the press.
‘One of the most engaging qualities of this trio’s Beethoven cycle has been its feeling of intimacy – of three players, each with an attractive sound, playing together with a sense of something understood. They now reach the final summit of the Archduke, and I’m pleased to say that they haven’t let the altitude go to their heads. Chamber music performances in the best sense: modest in proportion but rich in insight.’
Gramophone (on Vol. 4)
