Review: Mendelssohn - Piano Trios - Bell, Isserlis, Denk

Six years have elapsed since longtime collaborators Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, and Jeremy Denk recorded their collection of Brahms chamber works; their Brahms album (for the Love of Brahms, 2018) had featured a not-often-performed, original 1854 version of the Op. 8 B Major trio, and here there is an earlier version of the slow movement of Mendelssohn’s Op. 49 D minor trio.

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A tricky aspect of performing Mendelssohn is maintaining the right balance between Classical elegance and Romantic intensity, and the performers show familiarity in navigating this landscape. The beginning of the first movement of the first trio, marked Molto Allegro, shows a nice level of restraint in Denk’s accompaniment, which allows Isserlis’ rich cello tone and polished phrasing to shine.

Polished playing doesn’t always suffice here, though, and I often longed for the added pathos in Yo-Yo Ma’s interpretation, which brings a quintessential dark character. Mendelssohn’s acrobatic virtuosity is delivered deftly a few moments later—ironically by the piano, which had seemed subdued earlier. The impassioned intensity also comes through in Bell’s playing: while his sound is never harsh, we hear the violin clamoring urgently for the highest notes, bringing out an emotional yearning.

The second movement is where the piano gets its turn in the spotlight, leading off with solo melodic material which the strings then reiterate. Denk’s interpretation generally plays to a pleasant, calm quality, with expressive piano dynamics that allow the lines to arch organically. I was looking for a more intimacy in the strings’ dialogue, which sometimes feels too forward in comparison to the piano’s introspection. This is partly due to the close-miked and rather airless recording.

For reference, I turned back to a version that creates better emotive balance, by Trio Wanderer (Harmonia Mundi): pianist Vincent Coq isn’t afraid to infuse a little more depth and variety into the lines, which results in some striking moments of contrast. The biggest difference might be violinist Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian’s vibrato, which is much tighter and pronounced. This creates an almost breathless vocal quality that elevates the expressive profile.

Back to this new album, from the two versions of the slow movement I was pleasantly surprised by the original version, which is included as a bonus track that closes the album. Not only does Mendelssohn creates an added dimension through a wider use of the piano’s registers, but Denk’s phrases also seem a bit more relaxed and fluid. and the performers don’t disappoint with the intricacy of the Finale (track 4): Staccatos are airy and each voice, even when layered and intertwined, maintains a distinctive presence.

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The opening movement of the second Piano Trio in C minor trio is full of details, from the suspenseful and chromatic motif to the synchronized unisons in the strings and the piano’s scintillating runs. The trio moves like a well-oiled machine, with extra credit going to Denk, whose precision is what brings flashes of energy to the movement. Yet somehow, the interpretation pales in comparison to the reading from Leonidas Kavakos, Patrick Demenga, and Enrico Pace (Sony), who are not afraid to use a more brisk and flexible tempo to truly inch the phrases forward with suspense.

In the second movement (track 6), the evenness of Denk’s voicing is to be lauded, but the hymlilke textures should invite a moment of respite and reflection, which the rather square treatment of the line doesn’t allow for. And so we are robbed of the chance to savor the gentle melody and harmonies, so well executed in Julia Fisher, Jonathan Gilad, and Daniel Müller-Schott version (Pentatone, 2004). The swing of the waltz, so central to the Finale, dissipates in a rather rushed and frenetic performance, though Denk’s expertly plays the choral section at 2’45”.

The D minor trio is the more impressive performance here, and it sounds that things don’t come together as well in the second trio. In light of other fine performances (and with a better recording quality), this album will mainly attract the many fans of these individual artists.