Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer & Mischa Maisky - Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky: Piano Trios (1999)

Although these musicians have previously played together in duos, you aren't likely to hear the trio of Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and Mischa Maisky every day. The friends have attempted to perform as a threesome for decades, but it took sheer luck, and a few 1998 dates in Japan, to find the acclaimed pianist, violinist, and cellist onstage together. Recorded as a tribute to Reinhard Paulsen, the late manager of Argerich and Kremer, this disc features two of chamber music's darkest pieces: Shostakovich's op. 67 and Tchaikovsky's op. 50 for piano and strings. Both composers wrote these works as elegies, and the effect of the pairing is riveting; the Shostakovich is bleak and occasionally violent (the use of Jewish melodies makes this as much a remembrance of the Holocaust as of any individual), while Tchaikovsky's epic, nearly 50-minute piece requires more patience but is even more expansive. Though the musicians haven't performed these pieces before, they have an intuitive grasp of the music--Kremer seems meant for these lyrical, personal violin passages, and Argerich is ready to unleash her fury at a moment's notice. Sonically, Maisky's cello is slightly obscured by his powerhouse peers, but he serves as a sobering backbone to these compositions. The very short tango by contemporary Peter Kiesewetter acts as an encore, a two-minute reminder that these friends know how to have fun too. -- Jason Verlinde