Takács Piano Trio - Wigmore Hall, London

This programme of two relatively unfamiliar Romantic piano trios looked a trifle heavyweight for a Wigmore Hall Coffee Concert, yet in the hands of the Takács Piano Trio it emerged as a wholly joyous and uplifting experience.

From the beginning of Schumann’s D minor Trio it was obvious that the musicians had found a way of bypassing the dangers inherent in a score that often seems too inventive – especially in the upper reaches of the piano part. Péter Szabó’s admirable discretion allowed the two string players to present Schumann’s lovely melodies in effortless waves of beautifully blended sound. On the other hand, where the piano needs to lead – as in the second subject of the first movement – the balance shifted easily and effectively.

Brahms’s B major Trio carried on from where the Schumann left off, with the sublime moments in the score – for example the exultant octaves from the strings near the end of the first movement exposition – expressed in billowing phrases of silky string tone.

Equally at home in the Mendelssohnian Scherzo and the almost static Adagio, this newly formed trio from Budapest has entered the chamber music league tables very near the top.

Joe Conway

The Strad
September 1997