Atostrio: The French Album - Chaminade; Francaix; Debussy; Boulanger

Recommendation

Award winning German trio Atos Trio perform on this excellent Farao Classics release titled The French Album. Four works for piano trio make up the program, ranging from the seldom-heard Chaminade, Françaix and Boulanger pieces to one that lies at the core of the repertoire by Debussy. The music by the first three composers mentioned appear in only an alternate version or two while the Debussy is appropriately well represented with over a dozen alternatives in the catalog. However, there is nothing whatsoever lacking in Atos' performance of this piece, and it is nice to get these wonderful rarities alongside their superb performance of this masterpiece from Debussy's youth.

The album begins with Cécile Chaminade's Piano Trio No. 2 Op. 34, written in 1886. This is the least 'French' sounding music on the program. It opens impressively, big-boned and with a romantic spirit and texture we might more quickly associate with Brahms than with music coming from France at the time. The central Lento is especially lovely; from a recording made during a live performance, you can listen to it in the video below. The concluding Allegro energico, lively and dramatic is available as a sample from the album in the right sidebar.

In immediately apparent contrast to the Chaminade, next comes the 1986 Piano Trio by Jean Françaix, infused with the composer's typical satirical wit, playfulness, airy textures and tongue-in-cheek hoodwinks. Debussy's early Piano Trio in G major was written in 1880, when the composer was only 18 years of age. The piece is a charmer, and we can already hear the impressionistic tonal language that would forever enrich Western Music. The concluding D'un matin de printemps (On a spring morning) by Lili Boulanger, little sister of Nadia and the first woman to win the Prix de Rome in 1913, gives a taste of what might have come from her had she lived beyond the age of 24.

These four wonderful and contrasting works were written over a span of more than a hundred years. While each is clearly cut from its own cloth, from a tonal perspective, they will all lie with equal ease in the comfort zone of any listener. Both Atos Trio and Farao beautifully realize the project; this recording is not to be missed by anyone drawn to the genre.

Album Overview

"The repertoire for piano trio holds many surprises as well as treasures and great masterworks, and we get the chance to interprete these incredible pieces many times, again and again. In times of an ever-growing pace of life, of crossover arts and highspeed careers, the chance to repeatedly and steadily work together on these wonderful pieces has become a luxury and a necessity to us. We tremendously enjoy the freedom to form own ideas and concepts and to make our own decisions, as a piano trio – a freedom that is inate to the concept of chamber music." -ATOS Trio

Source: FARAO Classics

ATOS Trio

The Atos Trio (A nnette – T(h)o mas – S tefan) was founded in 2003 by the violinist Annette von Hehn, the cellist Stefan Heinemeyer and the pianist Thomas Hoppe. It has now become one of the very few German chamber-music ensembles to have made its way into major concert series worldwide. For the musicians in the trio, playing in the ensemble has complete priority over any other musical activities. The Atos Trio embodies the realisation of string quartet philosophy applied to the genre of piano trio. Its aim is to go to the very limits of expression and dynamics, without shying from extremes. http://www.farao-classics.de/english/artists/atos_trio-e.html

Cécile Chaminade, composer	Cécile Chaminade, composer Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (1857 – 1944) was a French composer and pianist. Her music has been described as tuneful, highly accessible, mildly chromatic and typically follows most aspects of late-Romantic French music. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9cile_Chaminade
Claude Debussy, composer	Claude Debussy, composer Achille-Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918) was a French composer. His music is noted for its sensory content and frequent eschewing of tonality. The French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debussy
Jean Françaix, composer	Jean Françaix, composer Jean René Désiré Françaix (1912 – 1997) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Fran%C3%A7aix
Lili Boulanger, composer	Lili Boulanger, composer Marie-Juliette Olga Lili Boulanger (1893 – 1918) was a French composer, the younger sister of the noted composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. Her work was noted for its colorful harmony and instrumentation and skillful text setting. Aspects of Fauré and Debussy can be seen in her compositions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_Boulanger

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