Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Storioni Trio :: Schubert: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Worthy Performances of the Schubert Piano Trios

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 04/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Storioni Trio is named for the maker of violinist Wouter Vossen's violin, the Cremonese master Laurentius Storioni. This Dutch group was founded in 1995 and as far as I know this is only their second CD. The first contained acclaimed performances of two Beethoven piano trios, Nos. 2 and 5 'Ghost'. This SACD contains two of the glories of the piano trio literature, those Schubert wrote in 1828, his incredibly productive last year of life; indeed, the E flat trio was completed the same month as 'Winterreise'! Technically the trios are not beyond the reach of reasonably advanced amateurs yet they contain such glorious music that they are universally welcomed when they appear on the programs of the most exalted professional piano trios. For me the benchmark recording has for years been that of the Beaux Arts Trio, made in the late 1960s. More recently the recording of the Florestan Trio has been rightly acclaimed. I don't know that the Storioni accounts quite belong in that august company, but they bring many positive attributes to these performances.



One could say that these performances are Apollonian. Expressivity may be a bit muted, but clarity, grace and chiseled perfection is much in evidence. There might be those who feel there is too much calculation in the placement of dynamic and tempo changes, and clearly matters of balance have been carefully thought out, some of which comes across as just a bit mannered. Some like these two trios to sound as if they are Beethovenian, with rough or over-the-top expression -- as in the two slow movements, or in the Ländler-like scherzo of the E Flat -- but there is something to be said for classical restraint perhaps more in the manner of Mendelssohn or Mozart. These performances have their own merits and I do find myself going back to them again and again.



Speaking as one who has played these trios many times as pianist and who has struggled with the tendency of the piano to cover the sounds of the strings, I cannot praise highly enough the skill and musicianship of the Storioni's pianist, Bart can der Roer. He's not only a technically accomplished player, he is a sensitive collaborator in the ensemble. Sometimes his ability to recede into the accompanimental background makes me gasp with appreciation. Violinist Vossen is clearly the leader here and with the exception of his tone to become slightly wiry in the upper reaches of his E string, his performance is praiseworthy. Cellist Marc Vossen (presumably the violinist's brother) tends to be a bit recessed, not inappropriate in much of Schubert's writing in these trios, but he shines in the instrument's big moments, as in the slow movement of the B Flat. And I particularly like his pizzicati, delicate but sonically present, in the same trio's first movement.



A word about the sound. This is a hybrid SACD, playable both on a regular CD player or in SACD's surround sound. In SACD one is immersed in the warmth and intimacy of a chamber performance with startling immediacy. The stereo layer is also quite good.



Although this recording doesn't quite go to the top of my list, it is near the top tier of performances I own, and the its being in SACD is an added plus.



Scott Morrison



Also by the Storioni Trio: Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 2 & 5 "Ghost Trio" [Hybrid SACD]"

An Exceptional and Generous Offering

Stephen Grabow | Lawrence, Kansas | 10/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Storiani Trio give superb performances of the two Schubert Piano Trios, all on one CD in just under 80 minutes. Comparison to the Florestan Trio is interesting because the previous reviewer seems to use them as a standard for a 5-star performance. I think it depends on how much one cares for the kind of "period-informed" playing that the Florestan Trio engages in. I frankly prefer a sweeter string tone and thus prefer the Storiani version along with the Borodin Trio version which is also worthy of 5-stars."