The Vivaldi Project, Discovering the Classical String Trio

The string trio tends to be overlooked today. Yet from the classical period on there have been some wonderful examples. The Vivaldi Project, a trio with plenty of spunk and precision, give us seven great examples on their Discovering the Classical String Trio (MSR Classics 1621). Trios by JC Bach, Campioni, Boccherini, Franz Joseph Haydn, Cannabich, Giardini, Cambini all give us wonderfully clean lines and lots of chance for the trio to show off their brio energy.

Each composer was well respected in his lifetime and knew the ins and outs of the strings and bows of the day, the state-of-the-art in trio technique. There is a nicely busy, energetically configurated set of lines for the players to delve into and the Vivaldi Project show us they are up for it. The clean simplicity and lyricism speak as directly to us now as they no doubt did then.

Why by the end of the classical era the string quartet had all but left the string trio in the dust is a complex story, and one might blame Haydn for the excellence of his quartets and how they served as models of chamber music to come, but in the end you listen to these trios and forget all about that. The trios in the hands of the Vivaldi Project have a charm and sonance all their own.

This is a real change of pace listen. After hours of heavy fare, one turns to this program with no little delight. Definitely recommended.