Dvořák: The Complete Piano Trios

“These are musicians who seem to instinctively get each other, trading musical ideas with the easy spontaneity of three friends who are so in sync that they finish one another’s sen­tences… A triumphant debut for this new super-trio, then, and one which whets the appetite for whatever they might choose to record next.”
Presto Music, September 2023

“Their new double-album of Dvořák’s complete piano trios for Supraphon certainly lives up to expectations, directly challenging the Suk Trio’s marvellously idiomatic accounts of these works for the same label from the late 1970s… Make no mistake, this is Dvořák playing of the highest order and – even against some strong competition – these performances as a whole set a new benchmark in this marvellous quartet of works. Urgently recommended!”
Europadisc, September 2023

“Happily, the present ensemble is equal to the demands of these fine works. The string players have a wealth of experience in the Czech repertoire as long-standing members of the celebrated Pavel Haas Quartet. Indeed, one of the most immediately striking aspects in these performances is the sheer beauty of the string sound. They are ably matched by pianist Boris Giltburg whose care over articulation and unfussy, nuanced playing is a constant delight. Among highlights, the conclusion of the development of the first movement of the B flat trio is quite magical and the entire F minor trio is powerfully focussed while resisting the hectoring tendency that mars even some committed renditions.”
BBC Music Magazine, November 2023

“Six short movements reflect the dumka form’s charac­teristic alternation of slow and fast sections, Giltburg, violinist Veronika Jarůšková and cellist Peter Jarůšek once again connecting with the music’s Slavic temperament, switching moods as if those moods were their own. Try the fourth dumka, which ambles along easily at first then sporadically rushes ahead like kids at play before looking back tenderly. These performers bring out the rustic elements in this music; they connect with the childlike stargazers that we all are at heart, and that is a good part of Dvořák’s appeal. I suppose you could call it the ultimate in authentic performance, and that’s fine by me. Great sound, too (Wyastone Concert Hall, 2022 23, producer Andrew Keener). Strongly recommended.”
Gramophone, Awards Issue 2023

“Speaking of chamber music, I’ve really enjoyed this new recording of Dvorak’s piano trios: [Trio No. 3, 2nd mvmt]… The ‘Dumky’ trio is a delight here, as it should be; but I found myself drawn more to the others, enjoying the way they bring the folk rhythms and Dvorak’s lyrical gifts together, and the sense of effortless virtuosity and power Giltburg brings, even though a lot of the time he isn’t unleashing it.”
BBC Radio 3, 30th September 2023

“What a marvellous disc. Jaruskova and Jarusek of the Pavel Haas Quartet and the renowned pianist Giltburg are so at home in the four piano trios they might almost be tearing the freshly finished pages from Dvorak’s hands. Superbly recorded by Andrew Kenner, this is a total delight.”
The Sunday Times, 8th October 2023

“Mit jedem Satz wächst die Lust an dieser Einspielung. Denn das Trio mit Boris Giltburg am Klavier, Geigerin Veronika Jarůšková und Cellist Peter Jarůšek liefert alles, was packendes Dvořák-Spiel auszeichnet: die Kraft zur Attacke, die Lust am Schwärmerischen, melodischen Schwung und das Moment des Rhapsodischen – und all das ohne dabei zu überdrehen. Hinzu kommt eine besondere Feinheit in den leisen Abschnitten. Man hört nicht die bloße Übertragung von Noten, sondern das Auf- und Erleben in Form von Klängen mit hoher Empfindsamkeit. So werden besonders die langsamen Sätze zu Höhepunkten dieser Aufnahme.”
SWR2, October 2023

“I found this disc an example of chamber musicianship at its best: the excellent sound engineering balances and blends parts, which underscores the ensemble’s suc­cessful delivery of Dvořák’s most sensitive nuances and extroverted peaks. Listening to all the selections in succession, we are treated to a vibrant experience indeed—but one in which the distinctive essence of each trio is aptly captured.”
The Classic Review, October 2023

“Mein Fazit lautet: es gibt nicht sehr viele Einspielungen mit allen vier Klaviertrios von Antonín Dvořák, und es gibt noch weniger sehr gute. Diese neue Aufnahme aber ist eine. Denn Veronika Jarůšková, Peter Jarůšek und Boris Giltburg vermitteln immer wieder ein Gefühl von Sehnsucht. Die Sehnsucht nach Eleganz, nach Heiterkeit, Glück und Idylle. Ich könnte diese Reihe fast beliebig fortsetzen, und auch das spricht letztlich für diese Aufnahme.”
WDR3, October 2023

“Gemein ist den Trios indes, dass sie nach Musiker:innen verlangen, die bereit sind, sich ganz in den Dienst der Sache zu stellen, auf ausgestelltes Virtuosentum zu verzichten und dem Erzählerischen in der Musik nachzulauschen… Vor allem Giltburgs zauberisch delikates Spiel schafft es, gerade in den langsamen Sätzen und atmosphärisch angelegten Nebenthemen eine Duftigkeit und geschmeidige Leichtigkeit zu zaubern… Jaruskova und Jarusek bilden hierzu mit oft schwärmerischem Ansatz, der kaum je unnötig romantisch beschwert wird, ein sinnvolles Gegengewicht.”
Musik an sich, October 2023

“This set of the complete piano trios is nigh-definitive.”
Classical CD Choice, October 2023

“C'est peu dire que nous sommes comblés : leurs trios avec piano de Dvorak nous transportent de la première à la dernière note. La sonorité chaude et sensible du violoncelliste rend pleinement justice aux thèmes lyriques qui introduisent les mouvements lents, notamment ceux de l'Opus 27 et l'Opus 65. Son dialogue avec le violon émerveille par la fusion des timbres, par la fluidité exemplaire de leurs échanges, reflet de leur travail approfondi au sein du quatuor… Le jeu de Giltburg se montre à la hauteur de cette complicité la qualité du toucher, le sens des phrasés (l'Allegretto grazioso de l'Opus 65 tient ici toutes ses promesses), la variété des climats et leur relief expressif relèvent tout autant du miracle… Un bijou.”
Diapason, January 2024

“Unis dans l’élan comme dans la méditation, le piano volubile et cristallin de Giltburg, le violon soyeux de Veronika Jarůšková et son suraigu ineffable, le violoncelle embrasé mais sans emphase de Peter Jarůšek semblent respirer dans un seul souffle, à l’instar de leurs précédentes rencontres au disque au sein du Quatuor Pavel Haas (opus 34 de Brahms, opus 81 de Dvořák). On a le vertige quand on songe à toutes les merveilles que ces musiciens pourraient encore nous offrir, en trio, quatuor ou quintette…”
Classica, February 2024

“In the hands of the musicians on this recording each succeeding mood emerges organically from the preceding section and flows into the next even as they savour the one at hand. Try their way with the second movement, another Poco Adagio, and what you will hear is true chamber music – spontaneous, intense, intimate… Listening to this performance is like travelling through a landscape where each turn of the road brings a new vista even more breathtaking than the last… There are a lot of very good recordings of this work out there … but none of them beat this one – for playfulness, for exuberance, for melodic grace, for imagination and just downright excitement.”
MusicWeb International, February 2024