Customer Rating: 
Summary: Definitive Beethoven Piano Trios!
Comment: Unfortunately there are only a handful of the Beethoven Complete Piano Trios on disc. Of those, these are by far the finest. I've purchased the set by Baremboim-Zukerman-DuPre several years ago, but found their performances to be a bit dry,conservative and uninvolved in the music.
The Beaux Art Trio's renditions are classics, but inconsistent. The Askenazy-Perlman-Harrell set are not only virtuostic performances by three of the greatest classical artists of their generation, but there is an incredible chemistry between each of them which the key to ensemble playing. Recorded in the 80s, the recording sound is warm and genuine, but dynamic as well. Highly recommeded!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Untitled
Comment: Three great soloists making great chamber music together. The warmth of the string playing is wonderful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fine Beethoven Chamber Works
Comment: These CDs are discs 3 & 4 of the complete piano trios of Beethoven. They were recorded from 1979 to 1984, and remastered and re-issued on EMI classics in 2004; I am surprised that this is the first review posted on Amazon.
The major works on these CDs are the later trios, opus 70 no 1, "Ghost", opus 70 no 2, and opus 97,"Archduke", dedicated to Beethoven's friend, pupil and benefactor the Archduke Rudfolf. This, opus 97, is probably the best trio sonata, but some of Schubert's come close. These later trios are more interesting as the cello is a full member of the group, no longer restricted to tagging along with the left hand of the pianist.
The players are Vladimir Ashkenazy on piano, Itzhak Perlman on violin and Lynn Harrell on cello. The first two are big names from the 1980s, and Harrell is a first class player, if much less well known. So you would expect a first class performance, and that's what you get. Ashkenazy leads but never dominates, the performace is light and airy, precise, often delicate, and joyful. It's the best "Archduke" I have heard, and that is the one you will come back to time
When you consider the budget price it has to get 5 stars.
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