eMirecourt's releases vie

byJohn Strauss

Is it time to revamp your record col-
lection? Have you grown tired of
listening to that same old Village Pear
pie albumithe one with the scratch
right through the best(?) part of In
the Navy? If that’s the case, the
Mirecourt Trio has three records in
print that will improve anyone‘s
record collection.

Brilliant Romantic T ios (on the
Genesis label and available in the
Bookstore) is the title of the iirst
album by the Mirecnurt Trio. Records
ed in Herrick Chapel in August, 1975.
this two record set includes music by
four or the greatest, yet bil'Lually
unknown, pianists oi the 19th century:
Charles-Valentin Morhange (Alkan).
Henry Litolff, Adolf Von Henselt, and
Sigismund Thalberg.

Alkan was an eccentric prodigy
whose career peaked during the 18405,
A composer or obscure fame, he may
be remembered best for having died
irom injuries incurred when a
bookshelf fell on him, Despite this, the
Trio in G Vlinor (recorded in this
album) is one of the few pieces Alkan
composed for a piano trio.

L‘itolir primarily composed works
[arithe piano. His work is often com-

. pared to the music of Beethoven and

Lis‘zt, The Tr in A Minor op. 24 is
characteristic of Litoli‘i’s style, it is
conventional and virtuosic.

von Henselt's Trio n A Major, 0p.
69 is very trad ional in style. He was
extraordinarily gifted, yet suifered in»
ten'se anxiety and sweaty fingers when

‘ playing in public. Because of his ner-

vousness, Von Henselt devoted his lire
to teaching and composing.

A't the age oi six, little Sigismund
Thalberg decided to become a concert
pianist. He played throughout Europe.

, and twice pertormed in America. He

once had a piano playsotf with Liszt,
with whom he was olten compared. In
this battle at the keyboards, Thalbcrg
was thoroughly routed, The Piano Trio
in A Minor. on. 69 is Thalberg’s only
major contribution to chamber music,

. It is good. despite the loss to Liszt.

The music in this recording, along
with the erecourt Trio, has been
critically acclaimed. in a reVlew in
The New Records magazine, April,
i976, one critic wrote, “ ..a romantic
romp with the piano as heard in trio
form, and these three artists know
how. to dish it out to the fullest effect.
. . a3generous measure of old-
fashioned listening measure.”

The Mirecourt’s second recording is
entitled cliiiiara: Piano Trio and
Elegy (side one), and Cowe Iiynin
and lt‘uguing Time Not Four

Declaniations With Return and

Cowell:'Gi-avely and Vicoi-oiisly
(side two). This was recorded in
February, 1977, on the CR1 label.

Chihai‘a wrote both pieces in 1874.
His work is emotional, melodic,
and filled with disso-
nant harmonies The Piano Trio is, ac-
cording to one critic, “characterized
by its swing trom lyrical exchanges
between the players and oceassional
bursts ol intense activity." Elegy is
dedicated to Chillara's father and
backed by the violin solos

Henry Cowell was a composer ior
television and movies, Gravely :illd
vigorously is a memorium to John F.
Kennedy, written the day he was
assassinated and played solo by Terry
King.

Hymn and Filguing (King and
Jensen) uses American folk melodies
for a theme and Four Dcclniimtions
tKing and Jensen) is a chromatic, yet
powertul, piece. Cowell is regarded as
an experimentalist at the piano In-
fluenced by baroque melodies as well
as American tolk iorms, he developed
such unique playing styles as using
ﬁsts and elbows to create tune
Clusters.

The New Ccords Said in a July, 1979
review of this record, “The group’s
playing is on the highest level of in
strumental mastery: rich sounding,
accurate, and well balanced.”

The Mirecourt's latest effort now on
sale are two Mendelssohn trloS: Piano
Trio in D minor, Op 49 and Piano Trio

wed

in C minor, Op (iii (ABC label.
available at The Music Shop on Broad
Street in Grinnell). These tl'ios are as
unknown but as muswal as the
previous recordings by the Trio,

Mendelssohn has been called “The
Mozart of the 19th century,” with his
sophisticated and melodic Composr
tions These trios are no exception.
Richard Slater, music critic of the LA
Times writes, “In addition to superb
technique, musicality and near
seamless ensemble, this group also
prossesses the aura oi spontaneity, the
clan and the vigor to bring this tonetul
rcpertory to joyous lile.”

The Trio has recently recorded
several SODHVtO'be released albums
under the HNH label. Works by
Dvorak, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and
lesser known composers will be in-
cludcd,

IlldiVldually, the members ol the
erecourt Trio have done several
recordings. Moving irom chamber
music to ragtime, John Jensen has
recorded three solo ragtime albums.
Forget Scott Joplin momentarily and
choose between the works oi Joseph
Lamb, James Scot or Zez Conii-ey,
three brilliant, it somewhat over-
shadowed, ragtime composers, The
Lamb and Scot albums are available
in the Bookstore.

Terry King has done several recorr
dings oi cello music The only
available record of his on campus can
be found ill the library alld contains
works oi Regcr. Dvorak, Schumann,

This is probably the mos! recogmzoble pomoit oi the Mirecourt Trio and it ops

pears on their Brilliant Romanllr Tries” album

Scarlet :3 Block,

 

