Track Listing

1. Trio No. 2 For Violin, Cello & Piano, Op.67: I-Andante; Moderato
2. Trio No. 2 For Violin, Cello & Piano, Op.67: II-Allegro con brio
3. Trio No. 2 For Violin, Cello & Piano, Op.67: III-Largo
4. Trio No. 2 For Violin, Cello & Piano, Op.67: IV-Allegretto
5. Sonata For Cello & Piano, Op. 40: I-Allegro non troppo
6. Sonata For Cello & Piano, Op. 40: II-Allegro
7. Sonata For Cello & Piano, Op. 40: III-Largo
8. Sonata For Cello & Piano, Op. 40: IV-Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111138 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Shostakovich's Trio No. 2 is a grim masterpiece, a disguised tribute to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust written during World War II and actually using Jewish folk themes. The Cello Sonata was written a decade earlier, but it has its own dark political shadows of Stalinism. So don't buy this disc for fun and games. But do buy it for a couple of 20th-century masterpieces, played by a trio of well-known musicians who perform the music with great dedication. If you can put up with old sound, you can hear both of these pieces played by the composer (the Sonata on MultiSonic 31 0179, the Trio on Doremi DHR 7701). --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews

A favorite recording that is now a bit past it
For a long time this CD of the great Shostakovich Piano Trio #2 was my benchmark, and I still cherish some poignant playing by Isaac Stern in the last movement -- the Jewishness of this elegy to the oppressed reminds me of how subversive the music once was, and what a badge of courage it was to applaud at the Soviet premiere. Sony has provided crystal clear sonics, which are necessary if we're to catch all the nuances from three very nuanced musicians.

My ardor has dimmed somewhat, however. Compared to Argerich on her fiery DG recording with Kremer and Maisky, Ax is a bit faceless. Even more idiomatic (naturally) is the composer himself. Ax misses the anguish and anger in the piano part. But Stern and Ma form a perfect partnership in their touching eloquence, especially during the slow third movement where they carry the main part of the argument. For that movement alone I will keep this performance close by. The aching theme in high harmonics that opens the piece is played very movingly by Stern -- this is Schindler's List without shmaltz. (Sticklers, however, will not be pleased with Stern's intonation all the time.)

I've always felt that the Ax-Ma account of Shostakovich's Op. 40 Cello Sonata was afflicted with suaveness. Shafrin and Rostropovich find more passion and grit in the score. And Ax smooths out the piano line too much, as he does in the Trio. On its own elegant terms, however, this is a lovely reading.

The Three Masters
We bought this for the Three Masters - Stern, Yo-YO Ma and Ax.
The Trio, the first piece, you really have to like Shostakovich.
We skip to the the second piece - The Sonata for Cello and Piano, which is great.

notes from a mere fan
A few reviewers hold that this is a lackluster performance, somehow devoid of energy or enthusiasm. Perhaps the performers, being famous, relied on their fame to carry the performance, and their heart wasn't in it.

Of course other listeners, most more sensitive than I, disagree. That's the way of it. One of the pleasures of classical music and of life is the freedom to listen for oneself. No one agrees about much of anything. Another one of the great pleasures of classical music is comparing interpretations and performances, and if you have the time and the coin, you should definitely indulge in several recordings of any piece of music. You might consider starting out with the Naxos recording of the trio (ASIN: B0000014DB).

Trusting my own (admittedly rather ignorant) ears, I could also ask for more from several parts of this recording. But I feel the fourth movement of the trio is so beautiful, so intense, so tragic, so violent, so perfect--if music could kill this would be a fatal, romantic, ecstatic experience--that I recommend it enthusiastically. Those ten minutes, listen to them over and over, they will change you. They are worth the price of this CD.

Unless...

If you happen to be new to Shostakovich, let me recommend starting with Kronos Quartet's "Black Angels" CD (ASIN: B000005J0D). That features a number of interesting (some rather shocking) pieces of music, including my favorite recording of Shostakovich's eighth string quartet. That was my unforgettable introduction to Shostakovich, and I recommend it very strongly to anyone starting out with Shostakovich. No matter what the merits of this recording, that is in every way a better introduction to Shostakovich.

(And besides, in addition to an introduction to Shostakovich, there you can meet George Crumb, who does things you will never believe with string instruments. If you doubt musical sacrilege is possible, or if you hate your neighbors, listen to that with the volume up. It is, at any rate, memorable. Buy it for the Shostakovich, and brace yourself for the Crumb.)