Shostakovich - Piano Trio 2 [Leonskaja/ Borodin Quartet] And another Piano Trio!, and another strange sounding Trio in the minor key, i've heard this quite a lot, but as a lot of music goes, i have a tendency to let the music wash over me, and not really listen, today i tried to listen, and i certainly got something more out of it, it's also good to have an excellent interpretation by these Russians,
Elisabeth Leonskaja is Russian, now 65 years old, this disc was recorded in 1995, the booklet photo is very much a studio posed shot, and yet very well done, very monotone in black and white, with dark brown [photo by Thomas Muller].
It was the faster, more lithe movements that really work here, Shostakovich can really build up some sort of vehemence, and it's the last movement that i especially liked, it's a very jumpy staccato movement, with excellent use of pizzicato strings, the violin has dull non singing strings, but at the end of each phrase the treble string rings out twice [0:06-0:44], a very special effect, and then we're off on one of Shostakovich's angry outbursts [0:45-1:32], the piano singing out, and the strings plucking as if their life depended on it, the whole thing is couched in this desolate minor key, Shostakovich likes to use extremes, and the piano uses the growling bass in the main melody [3:27-4:00], low and fairly quiet, an ominous rumbling, the anger is incessant, the piano sings out in strong forte [5:31-5:54], and the strings follow suit, yes it can get very bleak and wretched, but there's a tune in there, and even a whiff of sweet melody trying to break out, about two thirds of the way through, the piano has these lovely rolls that Debussy would have been proud of [7:11+], which turn into harp-like strumming, the opening idea returns [8:35-9:12], strings chanting, piano having a bass grumble, the violin has a pizzicato so high in the treble [9:59-10:12], sounding so dead, right at the end the piano lazily hammers out some chords [10:16+], growing softer and softer to a pianissimo ending, Shostakovich can certainly eke out all sorts of sonorities with his instruments, and Leonskaja / Kopelman / Berlinsky are up to the task, creating all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds.
Here's the Chung Trio playing the fourth movement on YouTube.
