This second volume of Schumann piano trios contains a lovely novelty: Theodor Kirchner’s arrangement of the Six Pieces in Canonic Form, Op. 56 (originally composed for pedal piano). Despite his reputation as a wild-eyed Romantic, Schumann was a superb contrapuntist, and the fact that he designates two of these pieces with perhaps the most Romantically expressive term in the German language, “innig” (“inner,” or “rapt”), proves beyond all doubt that the emphasis on counterpoint does not preclude the most intimate expressive depth. These pieces, as well as the lively and passionate G minor trio and the Fantasiestücke receive excellent performance by the Vienna Brahms Trio. The balance between the instruments is always true, and the players match the rhythmic accuracy of the scherzo of the G Minor Trio, for example, with the lyrical breadth of the slow movements. They know how to sing, how to keep things moving, and how to enjoy themselves through the music. A first rate collection, as was Volume One.
