Gouvy Piano Trios

[eschiss1]

What looks like the first of a pair of recordings that between them might be the complete Gouvy piano trios has been announced for release next month (Voces Intimae, 2-CD set with three trios- nos.2, 3 and 4) on the Challenge Classics label, in the MDT New Releases section.

[Mark Thomas]

Ah, good news. Anything "new" from Gouvy is always welcome. There are five piano trios in all, I see. Nos.2 and 3 have been available from Orfeo for quite a few years, but it would be good to get to know the other three.

[Alan Howe]

It's certainly on my list...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Gouvy, thankfully, is creeping steadily towards the sung category - although, given the work list, a long way to go yet!

Can anyone cast a little more light on this welcome release? I would guess that with the three Trios there is quite a bit of 'spare space' on this 2 CD set?

Since Trios 2, 3 and 4 have near contiguous opus numbers (18, 19 and 22 respectively) I'd guess they were composed at broadly the same time, and that might be some reason to record them as a group?

But the question I'm really chasing is: what has happened to Nos. 1 and 5 (Op 8 and 33)? Obviously we've got no right to 'demand' Voces Intimae perform and record them. But it does seem odd to release a 2CD set and ignore the remaining two Trios.

I don't know the works at all - but they appear to be published and thus (presumably) can't be incomplete / unperformable / naff or whatever.

I've got Nos. 2 and 3 on the disc Mark mentions - and I recall it as good. But I'm not sure if I want to get hold of a 2CD set just to get No. 4 (and alternative versions of Nos. 2 and 3). But with a new recording of all five I might just jump at it.

I'm clearly a greedy completist - but then why not with Gouvy!

[eschiss1]

hrm. I thought I saw "vol.1" on the release suggesting that vol.2 with the other two was promised, but I should have looked more closely to be sure...

There has also always been that confusion between nos.2 and 3 but as this CD contains both and no.4 also, that's no worry here.

Ah, I forgot to include the link, blast.  http://www.mdt.co.uk/gouvy-theodore-piano-trios-voces-intimae-challenge-classics-2cds.html ... hrm, quite right, nothing about a certain volume 2.

(Also: this (legitimate) YouTube video (the making of the CD set).)

[eschiss1]

Also, the Library of Congress claims to have the trio op.8; Worldcat claims that some library has the trio op.33 but I have no idea which.

[Martin Eastick]

Orfeo did actually announce a 2nd volume of Gouvy piano trios under catalogue number C483981 during the 1990's, but for some reason this never appears to have been released. Whether or not the actual recording took place, I cannot say, but at the time I made enquiries via Orfeo directly, and was told that the release was imminent and would be including Piano Trios Nos 1 & 4, with the same artists. I wonder if anyone else here has any more knowledge of this?

[Mark Thomas]

It certainly never saw the light of day, Martin. A shame.

[rcecche]

Hi, I am the pianist of Voces Intimae. It was so interesting to find you all.
My friends of the Trio and me chose simply the Trios we like more. And the fact that the Trios no.2, 3 and 4 were composed in the same period, helped in our decision. At the moment we don't know if we'll go on recording the other 2 ones. It depends on the answer of the public.... Hard times to publish new recordings.....
We simply falled in love with Gouvy music. And I/we hope to contribute in discovering that great music.
Feel free in contacting me to ask any questions.
Best, Riccardo

[Alan Howe]

Good to have you on the forum! Is there any other unusual music in your repertoire that you would like to record?

[rcecche]

Quite a lot, but it's hard to be published.... So I really don't know when we'll be able to do another CD of unknown music. At the moment we've planned to complete Schumann piano trios with our 2nd volume adding, most probably the Clara Wiek Schumann beautiful piano trio. Then... who knows? Anyway we like to explore the repertoire a lot. Some examples: the infinite repertoire of Fantasias on the Opera music, the less known classical and romantic composer (Hummel, E.T.A. Hoffman, Prince Louis Ferdinand, eg), the Italian composers of the first half of XX century (Ghedini, who composed a wonderful piano trio eg), the French romantic composers with the help of the Centre de Musique romantic française.

[jerfilm]

Welcome, Riccardo.  I'm really looking forward to this CD.   I am a great fan of chamber music  Especially with PIANO.   String quartets and such generaly leave me cold - often 30 or 40 minnutes of unrelieved sameness.   But that's just a personal thing.  The pieces with piano often remind me of mini-piano concertos. 

Keep up the good work.  We wish you lots of success

Jerry

[eschiss1]

Used to have that reaction to solo piano music (my entry to string chamber music was probably Borodin's 2nd string quartet, which I came to in turn from Kismet... but then I grew up on show-tunes and shows.)

[Gareth Vaughan]

but then I grew up on show-tunes and shows

Sounds like a jolly good musical grounding to me, Eric.

[eschiss1]

Oh, I wasn't complaining. (For one thing, some of those Broadway composers studied with the same people - Boulanger, Hindemith and his pupils, ... - as their classical contemporaries. For one thing. ) Erm. Sorry. Right. (Actually, having had a look at - though not yet heard- some of the 19th-century music for the New York light music stage, by David Braham (called the American Offenbach) and others, maybe I should consider that this does fit in with this forum, though not with this particular topic. Hrm...! )

(On an irrelevant sidenote, I still attend shows as often as I can- lately fairly often since family members get me season tickets to theater groups in the local area. Didn't mean to imply I was -avoiding- theater- or would want to. Loving it more lately, if anything. Apologies for personal tangent! )