It was my privilege to attend a day-long recording session for this Rachmaninoff program at Mechanics Hall in Worchester, Massachusetts. (See “Magic at Mechanics” in Issue 279.) Given the artists, repertoire, venue, and production team, I expected a good result. But I couldn’t have predicted what Reference has delivered with the final product. The Hermitage Piano Trio had been playing together for six years when, in September of 2017, it recorded Rachmaninoff’s two “élégiaque” piano trios plus an arrangement of the famous Vocalise for its first commercial release. The performances, created from complete movement run-throughs plus “fixes” taken from additional brief takes, are as intensely satisfying as a concert hall experience. Professor Keith O. Johnson set up his microphone array so that he could later generate a surround version of the recording, as well as stereo programs for both headphone and loudspeaker listening. How he knew what he was actually getting from listening to the two small monitors set up in a remote control room is beyond me. But in multichannel especially, this album is among the most convincingly realistic recordings I’ve ever heard. Not to be missed.Sound 5/5 Music 5/5 The Absolute Sound
The Hermitage Piano Trio is distinguished by its exuberant musicality, interpretative range, and sumptuous sound. Following a recent performance, The Washington Post raved that “three of Russia’s most spectacular young soloists… turned in a performance of such power and sweeping passion that it left you nearly out of breath.” Reference Recordings is proud to present their debut album as a Trio. A rarity in the chamber music world, this elite trio is comprised of three musicians who are noted soloists in their own right. In a performing career spanning forty-five countries on five continents, violinist Misha Keylin is attracting particular attention with his world-premiere series of the seven Henri Vieuxtemps violin concertos. Hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergey Antonov went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation when he became one of the youngest cellists ever awarded the gold medal at the world’s premier musical contest, the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition. Pianist Ilya Kazantsev, a fresh and exciting presence on the international music scene and a passionate interpreter of his native Russian repertoire – hailed by The Washington Post as “virtually flawless” – has performed as recitalist and soloist with orchestras in Russia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. Among his many awards and honors, Mr. Kazantsev received first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition (Paris) and a won the International Chopin Competition (Moscow) and the 2007 & 2008 World Piano Competitions (Cincinnati).
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vassilievich (1873-1943)
Works
Rachmaninov: Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor, Op. post.
Rachmaninov: Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9
Rachmaninov: Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
