19-05-2011
Live from the Royal Festival Hall in London
Lang Lang (piano) Vadim Repin (violin) Mischa Maisky (cello)
Rachmaninov: Trio élégiaque No.1 in G minor
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.49
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op.50
Vadim Repin and Mischa Maisky joined Lang for a programme of piano trios by Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Lang refuses to hog the limelight in chamber music, and his mercurial approach contrasted nicely with Repin's deep seriousness and Maisky's more extrovert romanticism. There was a fine sense of give and take between them in a brooding performance of Rachmaninov's First Trio Elégiaque, while Mendelssohn's D Minor Trio sounded exquisite.
Tchaikovsky's huge A Minor Trio, however, was the high point, the first movement beautifully controlled throughout its vast span, the variations vividly wide-ranging before reaching a haunting close.
Superb.
Tim Ashley
guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 May 2011
