Toccata Classics have already released a series of
recordings of David Matthews’ www.david-matthews.co.uk/homepage.asp
String Quartets not to mention volume
one of Music for Solo Violin and Music for Piano that includes his Piano Concerto and Piano Sonata.
Now Toccata Classics
https://toccataclassics.com/?s=david+matthews
have released a recording of David
Matthews’ Complete Piano Trios (to
date) performed by the Leonore Piano Trio www.leonoretrio.com with
Gemma Rosefield www.gemma-rosefield.co.uk
performing Journeying Songs, Op. 95 for solo cello.
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| TOCC 0369 |
David Matthews’ Piano
Trio No. 1, Op. 34 (1983) was commissioned by Trio Zingara with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain and
first performed by them at the Purcell Room, London, UK in June 1984. In four
movements, the piano introduces the slow opening Lento to which the strings bring a descending motif before soon
picking up a pace to rush quickly forward in the Allegro moderato. These players bring a fine spring to the music
that constantly seeks to find the opening calm yet always leaps up to move
quickly forward through some terrific passages before seeming to find a peace
in the curious coda.
The violin opens the Allegretto:
Drily humorous with a repeated chord, responded to by the cello before the
piano joins, all three players finding a lovely dialogue. Soon a broader
passage emerges, yet the piano’s staccato chords return the air of playfulness,
as do the string players in certain strange phrases, hinting at a more sinister
undercurrent. Later on there are richer string chords, soon overtaken by a
rhythmic pizzicato violin motif over a rich cello line before the piano has a
final say in the coda. The Adagio has
a fine melody for the strings that is overlaid by gentle piano chords as this
lovely movement slowly finds its way forward, each instrument adding its own
depth of feeling, combining to bring lovely textures. The music tries to rise,
led by the piano but continues its exquisite way forward. These players find
the most lovely sensitivity in the hushed phrases before a more passionate edge
momentarily appears. The gentler nature returns with the piano leading over
hushed harmonics that draw the movement to a gentle close.
The Molto moderato
opens gently with a three note piano motif to which the cello, then violin
gently add a melody, gorgeously played by this Trio. The violin takes the three
note motif around which the piano and cello wind the varied melody. It is quite
wonderful how Matthews draws so many fine ideas from this simple figure, rising
in passion a little before the gentle coda.
The Chagall Trio commissioned Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 61 (1993) with funds from the Arts Council of
Great Britain, giving its premiere at the Assembly House, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
as part of the Norwich Festival in October 1993.
Again in four movements, the Allegro opens with a blustery theme, full of energy, rising through
some incisive bars as the idea is developed with the Leonore Piano Trio
bringing terrific ensemble and precision before a sudden unresolved conclusion.
The Adagio is a
memorial piece for the composer’s partner, the writer Maggie Hemingway. The
piano slowly opens with the violin bringing a long drawn line, a fine melody. The
cello joins adding a lovely depth before the music rises a little in dynamics
with these players bringing some quite wonderful textures and harmonies. The
music moves through a haunting, slow, hushed section before finding more of a
forward flow and gaining in richness and dynamics, bringing a real passion.
Eventually the music drops to a hushed, gentle moment that leads back to the
former gentle flow before a hushed coda.
The Scherzo: Molto
allegro brings an urgency as the players play a rather syncopated, frantic
theme that hurtles forward with insistent phrases. Soon there are broad piano
chords over the desperate strings before a middle section where the theme is
varied. Finally the music picks up to hurtle forward to the coda.
There are light, gossamer harmonies from the strings in the
opening of the Allegro moderato - Andante
con moto – Presto to which the piano brings little repeated notes and out of
which emerges a rather anguished melody. The music finds a kind of entranced
calm with some lovely details before a faster section for piano with pizzicato
violin. Eventually the music rushes forward with beautifully light textures to
the coda. This is a particularly fine trio.
Piano Trio No. 3, Op.
97 (2005) was commissioned by the Leasowes Bank Festival, Shropshire, UK
and first performed by the Chamber Music Company in July 2005.
In two movements, the piano brings a lively motif in the
opening of the Con vivacità that is quickly
varied and taken up by the cello before all three share the theme. This trio
finds some lovely textures and sonorities with the theme in its various guises,
fairly leaping up each time out of the more restrained moments. There are fine
broad intervals whilst always keeping a bubbling energy. Later the violin winds
the lovely melody, rising to the heights before all three bring about a slow,
finely controlled, hushed coda.
The piano brings a languid theme with some lovely
dissonances appearing in the Andante
moderato to which the cello adds a deep, rich tone, soon joined by the
violin in what is a quite wonderful melody, finding lovely textures. The music suddenly
drops to a hushed passage with the strings finding much anguished beauty before
rising, only to fall to another hushed passage. These players find much feeling
as they develop through terrific textures and harmonies. The music reaches a brief
dynamic peak before falling back into a Presto
section where the passion is let loose as the music rushes headlong through
some terrific bars. But it is the languid pace that prevails right to the end.
The Leonore Piano Trio’s cellist, Gemma Rosefield brings a
very fine performance of Journeying
Songs, Op. 95 for solo cello (2004/08) to conclude this disc.
Song for Judith:
Robusto was commissioned by the Hampstead and Highgate Festival with funds
from the John S Cohen Foundation and is dedicated to Judith Weir on her 50th
birthday. Strummed chords open around which Gemma Rosefield brings some lovely
rich textures before developing through passages that have subtle Eastern
inflections, whilst the strummed chords often create a rather Iberian flavour.
This music allows so much opportunity for expression from the soloist in
passages of varying textures with Gemma Rosefield extracting so much from her
instrument. Later the music picks up the
pace in a fast moving section with rapid phrases, brilliantly played here, gaining
in passion. Towards the end there are rapid harmonics before slowing and
quietening for a thoughtful coda, a Pastoral
where strummed chords conclude.
Song for Elaine: Poco
lento e quieto was written for the Chief Editor at Faber Music, Elaine
Gould. Gemma Rosefield draws a long slow line as this reflective melody expands
through more passionate moments to a quiet coda on plucked chords.
Song for Gemma:
Andante trasognato - Allegro
appassionato was composed for the soloist here, Gemma Rosefield. It has a
plaintive melody that is soon interrupted by more energetic, dynamics phrases.
This piece ranges across the cello, extracting many fine textures, sonorities
and varying tonal qualities through passages of great passion and momentum.
Gemma Rosefield is an excellent advocate of this brilliant
work.
There are some wonderful works here, impressively played,
containing some of Matthews’ finest music. They receive excellent recordings
and there are informative notes from the composer.
See also:
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