Best of Russian Piano Trios | Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Glinka, Arensky, Taneyev

Tracklist below. Online purchase or streaming (Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Google Play): More Information: Brilliant Classics Spotify: Brilliant Classics Facebook: Composers: Anton Stepanovich Arensky, Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev Artist: The Moscow Trio, Vladimir Ivanov (violin), Mikhail Utkin (cello), Alexander Bonduriansky (piano) This 3-disc collection showcases Russian piano trios from the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries. Piano trios were unheard of for Russian composers until Mikhail Glinka wrote one in 1832; it earned the epithet ‘Pathétique’ as it seemed to be a reflection of Glinka’s general sadness at the time of writing, the piece alternating between caustic tension and attempts at light-hearted optimism. A mournful, melancholic influence then became characteristic of the Russian piano trio: Tchaikovsky unknowingly created a tradition when he composed his offering in 1882 – one of his greatest chamber works and which he dedicated to his recently deceased and much-missed friend Nikolay Rubinstein. On several subsequent occasions, piano trios were written as memorials. The collection also includes the mathematically-governed trio of Sergey Taneyev, who had gained a reputation as a cerebral composer, and the trio of Rimsky-Korsakov, whose mastery of opera and vocal writing can be seen in the final movement as each instrument takes on its own ‘voice’ and emotion – thus resembling an interaction between characters. Alexander Borodin used the Classical model for his trio, although it contains surprising chromaticism as well as dramatic changes of temperament, including the tragic hymn in the second movement. Anton Arensky’s take on the genre completes the collection. The Moscow Piano Trio was formed in 1976 and has achieved huge success in international competitions, notably winning the Maurice Ravel Gold Medal at the Bordeaux ‘Mai Musical’. The trio is comprised of pianist Alexander Bonduriansky, violinist Vladimir Ivanov and cellist Mikhail Utkin. 00:00:00 Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50: I. Pezzo elegiaco 00:22:40 Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50: IIa. Tema con variazione: Andante con moto 00:43:05 Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50: IIb. Variazione finale e coda 00:55:52 Trio pathétique in D Minor: I. Allegro moderato 01:01:08 Trio pathétique in D Minor: II. Scherzo: Vivacissimo 01:04:40 Trio pathétique in D Minor: III. Largo 01:09:42 Trio pathétique in D Minor: IV. Allegro con spirito 01:11:53 Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 32: I. Allegro moderato 01:25:18 Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 32: II. Scherzo: Allegro molto 01:31:27 Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 32: III. Élégie: Adagio 01:38:14 Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 32: IV. Finale: Allegro non troppo 01:44:53 Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22: I. Allegro 01:57:07 Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22: II. Allegro molto 02:09:29 Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22: III. Andante espressivo 02:16:06 Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22: IV. Finale 02:27:23 Piano Trio in C Minor: I. Allegro assai 02:42:48 Piano Trio in C Minor: II. Allegro 02:47:30 Piano Trio in C Minor: III. Adagio 02:56:54 Piano Trio in C Minor: IV. Allegro assai 03:12:25 Piano Trio in D Major (Unfinished): I. Allegro con brio 03:18:44 Piano Trio in D Major (Unfinished): II. Romance: Andante 03:26:29 Piano Trio in D Major (Unfinished): III. Intermezzo: Tempo di minuetto