| The Trio Parnassus triumphs in a recent interpretive comparison by the RTBF |
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On Sunday, 18 October 2009, during a two-hour program on the RTBF, Harry Halbreich, by now a living legend himself, joined the moderator Anne Mattheeuws for a comprehensive look at the interpretive history of the Piano Trio in E flat major op. 70 No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The preliminary selection made by Belgian critics and scholars already spoke volumes: the Borodin Trio, the Florestan Trio, the Guarneri Trio of Prague, and the threesome formed by Kempff, Schilling, and Fournier were heard in lengthy excerpts and direct comparisons. This illustrious lineup was complemented by the recording by the Trio Parnassus released on Dabringhaus & Grimm in 2001. The result was perhaps not entirely unexpected, but it was a sensation nonetheless. The appropriate distinctions were made, it was acknowledged that the one recording and interpretation would never exist, but the participants in this remarkable conversation and above all Harry Halbreich with his many decades of extensive experience came to the sensational result and rousing conclusion that the presentation by the Trio Parnassus was "the best synthesis," "lyrical and chamber-musical," as well as "very fitting, with a lot of energy, without any rough spots," and these were only three of the most important criteria that in the end decided the issue. The verdict: "A paradise of chamber music"! And this was not said off the top of one's head but the result of very thorough studies and impartial comparisons - a judgment of which all those involved can be just as rightly proud as they are of this "paradisiacal" recording itself. The interpretive comparison can be called up as a Podcast at www.musiq3.be/podcast/index.htm (and then click on the list “Table d’écoute 2009-10-18 - Beethoven, trio op70/2”). The Recording: Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trios op. 70,1 in D major and op. 70,2 in E flat major Listen:
Ludwig van Beethoven
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The Trio Parnassus triumphs in a recent interpretive comparison by the RTBF