The Soul of Russia – Trio Russe
Works by Balakirev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Arensky, Rachmaninov, Rebikov, Tcherepnin, Glière, Engel, Nikolayev, Pachulski, Catoire, Medtner, Sabaneev, Stravinsky, Scriabin
Piano Trio Then-Bergh / Yang / Schräfer (Genuin)
(scroll down for English review)
之前介紹過一張柴可夫斯基《季節》鋼琴三重奏版的唱片，這張則是作曲家Alexander Krein於1912年結集25首俄國古典樂曲，編給鋼琴三重奏，這套結集名為「俄羅斯三重奏」，選曲大致順時序，從「五人組」開始，到柴可夫斯基、拉赫曼尼諾夫、同期一些次要作曲家，最後於史特拉汶斯基及史克尼亞賓作結，前者的《火鳥》只是發表了兩年，就有兩首樂曲被收錄。
「俄國魂」這個大碟題目改得好，這套結集以抒情樂曲為主，膾炙人口的旋律較少，但這正是我聽這碟的原因。我們很少機會聽到俄國藝術歌曲，這裏有三分一都是此類，也有很多同樣少聽的鋼琴曲，一經小提琴及大提琴拉出來，感情變得更為濃烈，旋律是否難忘反屬其次。聽這碟基本上就像一小時的深情大雜燴，好像是由同一個作曲家創作一般，不知不覺就到尾。
令我比較深刻的有軌五《淚》、軌12《如歌的行板》（拉赫曼尼諾夫，不是柴可夫斯基的）、軌16《不要只愛我貌美》、軌17《寧靜的夜》。大提琴家的Yang即是楊文信Wen-Sinn Yang。
This 1912 anthology selected by Alexander Krein contains 25 Russian pieces arranged for piano trio. The generally chronological cycle starts with the Mighty Five, then onto Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, some of their obscure contemporaries and ending in Stravinsky and Scriabin. Two pieces from The Firebird (1910) were selected, the ink on the music paper was still dry.
The disc title The Soul of Russia really nails it. The pieces are mostly romantic or melancholic. Not much big name tunes but that’s precisely why I listened to this. We don’t usually get to hear Russian art songs, I like the fact that a third of this anthology are from that genre. There are many unknown gems in the Russian piano repertoire too, and their passion is enhanced when played by an additional violin and cello. It doesn’t matter if the tune is grand enough, there’s the grand soul. It’s like a pot luck of Russian Romanticism, as if composed by one single composer.
It’s easy to listen to the disc in one sitting but if I must highlight something, Une larme (track 5), Rachmaninov’s Andante cantabile (track 12), Do Not Love Me Just for Beauty Alone (track 16), On a Quiet Night (track 17) sound quite exceptional to me.