I would have liked to welcome the new Beaux Arts Trio’s major-label return to disc more positively, but unfortunately this is a dull and pointlessly duplicative release that tells us nothing new about the music. Mendelssohn marks the outer movements of his D minor Trio “agitato” and “assai appassionato” respectively, but there’s little trace of that here. Violinist Daniel Hope and cellist Antonio Meneses play the music with a sort of glutinous epicurean relish that drains the quick movements of much needed energy and rhythmic snap and permits the lovely andante to teeter perilously close to salon music. The playing isn’t bad in and of itself, but it certainly doesn’t make the best case for the work.
These negative qualities are even more pronounced in the Dvorák, in which exaggeratedly slow tempos yield to manic extremes of exuberance that fail to balance the prevailing sluggishness. The ensemble takes an extra two minutes in the second movement, for example, as compared to the Suk Trio on Supraphon, and throughout they are substantially slower than in their decidedly un-zippy (but otherwise shapely and elegant) Philips recording, contained in an attractively priced twofer with all of Dvorák’s trios. As for Menahem Pressler, the only remaining original member of this team, he’s backwardly balanced, wooden of tone, and lacking in flair as well as dynamic range. The combination of his emotionally neutral contribution with the excesses of his partners becomes quite unpleasant in the Dumky’s later movements, especially when combined with their heavy vibrato and obtrusive breathing. Not recommended.
