BRAHMS & DVORAK
Piano Trios
The Z.E.N. Trio
Deutsche Grammophon 481 6292 / ****1/2
The
Z.E.N. Trio is formed by Chinese pianist Zhang Zuo, Korean cellist Esther Yoo
and Armenian cellist Narek Haknazaryan, all young prize-winning musicians who
were brought together by the BBC New Generation Artists programme in 2015.
Their debut recording as a piano trio (its name is derived from their first
names), coupling piano trios by two Central European musical giants, is a
triumph of the globalisation of music.
Both
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) and Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904), were well
acquainted, the older German serving as a mentor to the young Bohemian. There
is little that is zen in these performances. Brahms' youthful Piano Trio
No.1 in B major (Op.8), brims with ardour and vitality, especially in the
opening movement’s big tune and the ebullient Scherzo. Even if the
composer had drastically revised it in his mature years, this later version nevertheless
retains its original youthful spirit and fire.
This
continues seamlessly into Dvorak's Piano Trio in E minor (Op.90),
nicknamed “Dumky” as its five movements relive the essence of the Slavic
folk lament known as the “dumka”. The dyed-in-wool melancholy and catchy
rhythms are well captured by the youthful threesome, as is the rather apt
quasi-gypsy encore, a heady arrangement of Brahms' Sixth Hungarian Dance.
There is much to enjoy here.
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