Primarily celebrated for his jazz-influenced solo piano works, Nikolai Kapustin came relatively late to writing chamber music. His three-movement Op. 86 Trio (originally for flute, cello, and piano) bursts at the seams with tuneful exuberance and snazzy harmonies, yet the four-movement Divertissement Op. 126 offers more assured, intricate, and nimble ensemble interplay. Listen, for example, to the Allegretto movement, where the strings and piano deftly trade “rhythm section” functions. The Op. 142 Trio is less overtly flashy than its predecessors, yet its more allusive melodic trajectory and asymmetrical phrases bring out the composer’s seldom-encountered dark side.
In order to perform Kapustin convincingly, one needs an all-encompassing classical technique and a genuine feeling for jazz timekeeping. Few musicians have both, and I suspect that pianist Juan Carlos Garvayo is more idiomatically attuned to the music’s bluesy inflections than his trio mates. Still, violinist Miguel Borrego and cellist José Miguel Gómez navigate Kapustin’s difficult runs and rapid string crossings with admirable agility and verve. In any event, Kapustin’s well of invention continues to gush at full capacity as he approaches his ninth decade. If you share my unabashed delight in just about everything Kapustin writes, this disc essentially recommends itself.
