Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Vladimir Ashkenazy :: Archduk & Ghost Piano Trios

This is THE version of the "Archduke" trio to have

Chi H. Vanlang | New Canaan, CT USA | 07/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is just too beautiful to describe. There is also the 2CD set but if you are only interested in a 1 CD containing the best piano trios of Beethoven, this is IT."

Disappointing

David Saemann | 04/19/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the worst performances of the Archduke I ever have heard. Everything is metronomic and stiff, with the feeling that everyone is sightreading at a single tempo all the way through. There also is no subtlety to the playing. From start to finish, the whole thing is just loud. I have nothing against celebrities getting together to play chamber music. The Istomin-Stern-Rose recording of the Archduke is very enjoyable indeed. But what we have here is totally unmusical. If you still are interested in this disc, I would note that the WOo 38 and the Ghost fare somewhat better. In part, this may be because the sound engineering here is less dry than in the Archduke, so there is more bloom on the string sound. I also feel that when confronted with something less monumental than the Archduke, these players were able to bend a little and feel less inhibited in their phrasing. I'm sorry I can't recommend this disc. I am usually very fond of Ashkenazy in Beethoven, but this is not the best way to hear him."