This recording landed on classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2023, and several factors combined to place it there. One is the sensitive ensemble work throughout from the trio of violinist
Veronika Jaruskova
, cellist
Peter Jarusek
, and pianist
Boris Giltburg
.
Jaruskova
and
Jarusek
are members of the fine
Pavel Haas Quartet
, but the trio, as such, is quite new, and
Giltburg
, moreover, is better known for virtuoso repertory than for chamber music. One would never know it from the seamlessly executed conceptions and transitions, with
in no way spilling out of the texture. Another factor is the presence of the first two
Dvorak
trios, early but by no means immature works. Recordings of them are not common, but hear the absolutely characteristic opening of the
Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 21
, with its pentatonic melody; handled as sensitively as it is here by
, the work is the equal of any of the later trios. Lastly, there is the fresh reading of the
Piano Trio, Op. 90 ("Dumky")
, one of
's most popular works. Several movements receive interesting interpretations. Consider the beginning, where the Lento maestoso designation is applied to the movement as a whole, with the opening chords kept consistent in tempo with what follows. This diverts the emotional center to the beautifully sad counterpoint between the cello and violin as the movement continues. The sound from the Wyastone Estate is warm but a bit close up, one of few complaints, and this is a major chamber music release that will yield a great deal of satisfying listening. ~ James Manheim