Anyone who has resisted chamber music needs to hear this disc; it’s guaranteed to make you a convert. The music is exciting, beautiful, moving, and provocative, and the performances are stunning. Smetana’s Piano Trio, composed in memory of his four-year-old daughter, is a passionate outpouring that set new standards for emotional intensity in chamber music during the 19th century. All three movements are unrelentingly in G minor, with the despairing, gypsy-like theme of the first movement setting the tone for the whole work. The development section may feature some unexpectedly Brahmsian sequences, but the overall feel is unmistakably Czech, especially in the wistful, laconic dance of the second movement, and the nervous allegro of the finale.
The same qualities of authenticity can be found in Dvorak’s “Dumky” trio. This, along with his Eighth Symphony, are among the composer’s most “home grown” works, chock full of native rhythms and folk-tinged melodies seemingly sprung from the Bohemian soil itself. The pliant theme of the opening lento appears to come from the same somber world of Smetana’s trio, but it soon trips up into a happy allegro vivace. One of the more arresting movements is the poignant Andante moderato, with a haunting theme that Brahms could only wish to have composed.
The Smetana Trio, actually the second so-named group, was formed in 1998 to continue the tradition of the original band, and is clearly immersed in the style of the music, which it plays with palpable devotion, getting really funky in the high-stepping Dumkas. In addition to being committed, daring, and imaginative, these three musicians are having a helluva good time too. Supraphon has produced a recording of wonderful clarity, depth, and vibrancy. That’s all that needs to be said. Go buy this CD and let the sparks fly.
