In its second volume of Schumann’s complete piano trios, the Trio Parnassus gives impassioned, sharp-witted performances of three of Schumann’s lesser-known (and, by some reckonings, just plain lesser) works. The two piano trios in particular often come in for abuse, judged as they are against his first composition in the genre (the D minor trio Op. 63). It’s true that these two works meander here and there–economy wasn’t exactly Schumann’s strongest suit–but the composer couldn’t ask for better champions than the members of the Parnassus. These players give warm, energetic performances that manage to keep the action going, which is no small feat.
How odd it is that another recent recording of the third trio (with fine performances by the Vienna Brahms Trio on Naxos) also includes the Sechs Stücke in kanonischer Form Op. 56. It’s very much a rarity, originally composed for pedal piano. (Do I detect a mini-fad bubbling just below ground?) It’s an attractive, if still underappreciated work, and the Trio Parnassus, with its intelligent and acute approach, makes the most of the piece’s contrapuntal lines. MDG lives up to its famed audio quality with a winningly natural sound.
