Ravel, Saint-Saëns: Piano Trios
Sitkovetsky Trio (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
薛高維茨基鋼琴三重奏曾被飛躍演奏香港及小交邀請過演出，我對他們的印象只屬一般，不過聽這張法國三重奏專輯就令我改觀。曲目為拉威爾，配搭今年逝世一百周年的聖桑的《第二鋼琴三重奏》。
半年前聽過卡普森兄弟及沙馬尤演奏聖桑同曲（軌五至九），薛高維茨基鋼琴三重奏的演奏有更強的自信，然而我完全不覺得他們以蠻力推動音樂，反而是有一種順勢而行的感覺，爽快俐落卻又從容不逼，其實再想真一點，要進入這種順勢而行的境界，背後要有很強的技術要求。
不過令我驚喜的卻是開碟的拉威爾（軌一至四），他們的演奏大情大性，打破了我們對此曲，甚至對法國室樂就是婉約的觀感。薛高維茨基鋼琴三重奏帶出了類近布拉姆斯式的浪漫，掙脫了室樂的框架。吳倩的鋼琴堅定的彈出交響氣魄，兩支弦樂：薛高維斯基及安達斯的演奏，既合拍又激昂。更難得是他們對樂句的敏感度很強，而不是被拍子所牽引及制肘，拉威爾此曲的節奏有點特殊，他們這種特點令這個演奏非常奔放。
I saw this trio in concert before but I wasn’t too keen about them. This French album made me retract my previous view.
This is Saint-Saëns’ anniversary so his Second Piano Trio (tracks 5-9) is the main feature of this album. Last year there was the recording by Chamayou and the Capuçon brothers of the same trio, but the Sitkovetskys’ reading was way more confident. They weren’t driving the music forward; on the contrary, I had the impression that they were going with the flow. Yet to achieve such a state, a very solid technique is mandatory.
The real highlight, though, is the Ravel trio (tracks 1-4). This performance is overflowing with passion, shattering the notion that Ravel, or even French chamber music in general, was on the feminine side, compared with the Germans. The Sitkovetskys raised the music to quasi-Brahms romanticism and broke through the confines of chamber music. Pianist Wu Qian’s assertive, even authoritative playing was full of symphonic grandeur. Violinist Sitkovetsky and cellist Enders complemented each other into a fervent whole. Most importantly this trio thought in phrases rather in beats. This played into their advantage as much of the Ravel trio was written in special meters; such sensitivity in phrases enabled such a free and soaring performance.