English Piano Trios
Of the five English composers featured, only two are really known at all – Coleridge-Taylor for Hiawatha and Boughton for The Immortal Hour – but all wrote wonderful music in Romantic style – rather under the shadow of Elgar, Delius, other prominent figures. Rosalind Ellicott had much success and performances in the 1880s before moving from orchestral to chamber music; Forrester was less prolific, concentrating on his teaching career, but has a fine impressionist voice. Warner was very well known as a violist and member of the London String Quartet; he was very busy as a composer with several chamber works, two operas and over a hundred songs to his name. The Trio featured here won the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Prize.
Trio Anima Mundi is one of Australia’s finest chamber trios; since its founding in 2008 it has won several international awards and made special efforts to unearth and perform forgotten but worthy works as well as the newest pieces of today. Their previous Divine Art album won rapturous acclaim.
Track Listing
- Rosalind Ellicott (1857-1924):
- Piano Trio No. 1 in G major - I. Allegro con grazia (9:07)
- Piano Trio No. 1 in G major - II. Adagio - Poco andante - Adagio (11:13)
- Piano Trio No. 1 in G major - III. Allegro brillante (8:31) Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912):
- Trio in E Minor - I. Moderato con expressione - Allegro con moto (4:36)
- Trio in E Minor - II. Scherzo: Allegro leggiero (1:43)
- Trio in E minor - III. Finale: Allegro con furiant (2:26) Rutland Boughton (1878-1960):
- Celtic Prelude: The Land of Heart's Desire (7:10) James Cliffe Forrester (1860-1940):
- Trio: Folk Song Fantasy (13:00) Harry Waldo Warner (1874-1945):
- Trio, Op. 22 - I. Quasi fantasia, moderato con qualche licenza (8:21)
- Trio, Op. 22 - II. Scherzo: Presto - Pochissimo meno presto - Presto (4:10)
- Trio, Op. 22 - III. Finale: Andante moderato - Allegro e ritmico (7:05)
Reviews
“These five trios will strike many listeners as surprising and pleasurable discoveries, with the bonus of outstanding performances.
” —Philip Borg-Wheeler
“A pleasant and diverting collection of music, stimulating.
” —Jeremy Condliffe
“The performances are adept, with sensitivity to dynamics, excellent phrasing, and precise articulation. The music all has merit, but Warner’s Trio makes this worth getting.
” —Don O'Connor
“Première recordings of five works full of interest, splendidly played and recorded, with the Waldo Warner a particular highlight. Throughout this fascinating and engaging recital programme, I can’t fault the playing of the Trio Anima Mundi who impress with their directness and level of expression, so consistent in teamwork. Beautifully recorded, the sound is clear and well-balanced.
” —Michael Cookson
“This eminently worthwhile release opens the window on a neglected corpus of English chamber music. The Stanford/Elgar/Bantock/VW example wasn’t the only English one.
” —Ateş Orga
“All five performances are of top quality. What astonishes me however is that all of the music, and two of the trios in particular, are absolutely outstanding. Dazzling, sparkling, remarkably fine quality.
” —Alan Cooper
“The playing by the Trio Anima Mundi is magnificent throughout. [I] was continually amazed at the brilliant interpretation of this music. Each one of these five ‘trios’ are special and deserve our attention. Outstanding recorded sound.
” —John France
“These world premiere recordings of rarely heard but masterful compositions are played with sensitivity and panache by the excellent Australian ensemble Trio Anima Mundi. [All five composers] wrote wonderful music in Romantic style.
” —John Pitt
