*** Ludwig Van Beethoven wrote a total of 7 piano trios, of which three have now been released at Challenge Classics, performed by the Van Baerle Trio with Hannes Minnaar (piano), Maria Milstein (violin) and Gideon den Herder (cello). You can enjoy the piano trios in E-flat major (opus 1), in C minor (opus 1 no. 3) and in B-flat major (opus 11). It turned out to be a carefully produced edition that could nevertheless have had a bit more character.
These trios belong to Beethoven's early work. The first and second were written in 1793/94, when the composer had just moved from Bonn to Vienna to study with Joseph Haydn; the third in 1798, at the ages of 23 and 28 respectively. And yet the trios already contain unmistakable foreshadowings of the compositional techniques that would make Beethoven one of the greatest composers of all time. For example, the first two trios consist of four, instead of the customary three movements, and opus 1 contains a fast scherzo instead of a traditional minuet. That Haydn was not entirely happy with the compositions is evident from the fact that he advised Beethoven not to publish the trio in C minor. Fortunately for us, Ludwig never heeded that advice.
The Van Baerle Trio's edition is correct and thoroughly solid. The fact that the booklet also contains a Dutch text – and not just English and German – is extremely commendable. This solidity is also maintained in the recording itself, which is flawless. The point of criticism concerns the performance itself. The trio has chosen a flowing but somewhat flat performance, without extremes. The resolute choice between a completely classical or a romantic practice is missing. This lack of clear choice makes the performance neither classical nor romantic and therefore perhaps a touch too dull.
Moreover, the piano stands out in several places, which is not due to the balance in the recording technique but to the musicians themselves. I thought the cello could have asserted itself a bit more. A better musical balance would have immediately broken through the flat, somewhat dull performance and released the inherently romantic spirit from the bottle. The connection with later Beethoven could have progressed more naturally in this way. The trios provide enough material in the score and in their structure to do so.
All in all, this edition remains a nice collectible that makes us look forward to the following volumes: correct and very carefully produced but with a touch too little Beethoven and a tad too much Haydn.
- WHO: Van Baerle Trio
- WHAT: Complete Piano Trios, vol. 1
- RELEASE: Challenge Classics, nr. CC72765 [embed]https://youtu.be/CEcWesPIkSs[/embed]