Trio Solisti offers fresh takes on Ravel and Chausson
By Ralph Graves
The Trio Solisti perform two French piano trio repertoire standards, and have something substantial to offer with both.
The Ravel trio benefits from a nice balance between delicacy and full-blown expressiveness. Trio Solisti means “trio of solists” and in this work that’s what you get — three soloists taking turns spinning out the exposed passages in Ravel’s beautiful sonic tapestry. Soloists they may be, but the ensemble blend is there, too. And it’s seamless.
Chausson’s somewhat somber Trio in G minor is also beautifully performed. Maria Bachmann’s violin and Alexis Pia Gerlach’s cello both seem to sound darker timbres in this work. The trio imbues the work with a sense of longing that only resolves on the final chords. Some performances I’ve heard make this trio sound pretty. The Trio Solisti give it real emotional weight.
Trio Solisti: Ravel & Chausson
Maurice Ravel: Trio in A minor; Ernest Chausson: Trio in G minor, Op. 3
Bridge 9440
