Trio Wanderer - Mendelssohn: Piano Trios (2013)

In the early years of the twenty first century, many classical labels released couplings of both Mendelssohn's piano trios, and while nearly all of them were superb, perhaps the best of all was this 2007 recording by France's Trio Wanderer. The same group that had already turned in excellent recordings of Brahms, Shostakovich, and Saint-Saëns here turned in a disc that has all the hallmarks of its performance style -- strength, stamina, and above all energy -- and applied to pieces that call out for those qualities but all too rarely get them. Not here: as it had with Brahms, the Trio Wanderer pours on the power in the opening Molto allegro agitato and Allegro energico e con fuoco, puts the pedal to the metal in the central Scherzo's Leggiero e vivace and Molto allegro quasi presto, and charges hell bent for glory in the closing Allegro assai appassionato and Allegro appassionato. And yet the Trio Wanderer is not just about power and speed: in the Andante con moto tranquillo and Andante espressivo, the players, especially violinist Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjadédian and cellist Raphaël Pidoux, sing with ardent lyrical grace. Ultimately, however, it is the group's energy that makes these performances so musically convincing and emotionally compelling. Anyone who loves nineteenth century music in general and Mendelssohn's music in particular should hear this disc. Recorded in L'heure bleue Salle de Musique in La Chaux-de-Fronds, Harmonia Mundi's sound is rich, deep, warm, and very immediate.