Piano Trios by Van Baerle Trio

Van Baerle Trio

Piano Trios

Format: CD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917266221
Catnr: CC 72662
Release date: 25 September 2014
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Label
Challenge Classics

UPC
0608917266221

Catalogue number
CC 72662

Release date
25 September 2014

"Maria Milstein wins Dutch music prize."

Luister, 19-1-2018

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

Press

About the album

Mendelssohn’s piano trios are among the most popular and frequently played works within the genre. Both trios are such recognised works and display such perfection of form and content that one might well imagine that they flowed effortlessly from the composer’s pen without a moment’s doubt or hesitation. But was this actually so? In the course of recording the two Mendelssohn trios we had the opportunity to examine a copy of the manuscripts of both works. We were astonished to discover that the manuscript of the first trio displayed considerable differences from the work that we were familiar with as the celebrated Trio in D minor. Further investigation revealed that this was an early version of the same trio, completed in July 1839, nine months before the first edition of the definitive version. To our even greater astonishment it turned out that this version was not just a rough sketch but a complete work, which had undoubtedly stood the test of time even without Mendelssohn’s later revisions. It was incredible to discover a masterpiece by his hand that was unknown to us. To be sure, it was largely the same as or closely related to the trio that we were familiar with, but there were also wonderful passages that were totally new to us.

Twee beroemde meesterwerken, uitgevoerd door een prachtig piano trio
Mendelssohns’s (enige) twee pianotrio’s behoren tot de meest populaire werken binnen het genre. De trio’s zijn zo herkenbaar en perfect van vorm en inhoud, dat het lijkt alsof ze zonder enige moeite door de componist op papier zijn gezet. Dit is echter niet het geval. Het manuscript van het eerste trio laat grote verschillen zien met het bekende en beroemde ‘trio in d klein’ (op. 49). Uit onderzoek blijkt dat het manuscript een vroege versie is van dat trio, en niet slechts een schets is, maar een volledig werk. Dit werk heeft de tand des tijds doorstaan, ondanks Mendelssohn’s vele, latere aanpassingen. Het bevat zowel bekende als totaal nieuwe passages. Deze vroege versie van het eerste pianotrio is voor het eerst te beluisteren op dit album.

Het Van Baerle Trio is in 2004 opgericht door Hannes Minnaar - piano, Maria Milstein - viool en Gideon den Herder - cello. Hun debuutalbum is bekroond met de Edison Award.

Mendelssohns Klaviertrios gehören zu den bekanntesten des Genres und man sollte meinen, dass sie dem Komponisten leicht von der Hand gingen - doch war es tatsächlich so? Hinter zahlreichen Revisionen entdeckten die jungen Musiker jedoch ein ganz eigenständiges frühreres Werk. So kommt man hier in den Genuss zweier Meisterwerke der Kammermusik, gespielt von einem der aufgehenden Sterne am Trio-Himmel, doch als wäre das noch nicht genug, präsentieren uns die drei auf einer Bonus-CD außerdem Mendelssohns Piano Trio Nr. 1 in seiner Frühfassung - die Welt-Erstaufnahme!

Artist(s)

Hannes Minnaar

Hannes Minnaar received international acclaim after winning prizes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition (2010, 3rd prize) and the Geneva International Music Competition (2008, 2nd prize) and being awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship (2011). He studied with Jan Wijn at the Amsterdam Conservatory, graduating with the highest distinction and took master classes with Menahem Pressler and Ferenc Rados. In addition, he studied organ with Jacques van Oortmerssen.
Minnaar was soloist with various orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, during which time he worked with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Jiří Bělohlávek, Herbert Blomstedt, Frans Brüggen, Eliahu Inbal, Edo de Waart and Xian Zhang. He gives recitals in many European countries and around the world. He performed at the Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzerthaus (Berlin), Musashino Hall (Tokyo) and the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow) and was invited to the festivals of La Roque d’Anthéron, Bordeaux (Jacobins) and Guangzhou.
Minnaar is also active as a chamber musician. As a member of the Van Baerle Trio he won prizes at competitions in Lyon (2011, CIMCL, 1st prize) and Munich (2013, ARD, 2nd prize). The trio gave 18 concerts in an international tour in the “Rising Stars” series in 2014, including the Barbican (London), Musikverein (Vienna) and Cité de la Musique (Paris). Minnaar also performed with musicians such as Janine Jansen, Isabelle van Keulen and Mischa Maisky.
His two solo albums are highly acclaimed. His debut album was awarded an Edison and Gramophone published a full-page article about this album. The same magazine wrote about his second album “Bach inspirations”: “After Minnaar’s debut disc, this makes two hits in a row”. BBC Music Magazine selected it as “Instrumental choice of the month” with 5 stars.
Minnaar is currently recording all of Beethoven’s piano concertos for Challenge Classics. Other future concert highlights include Liszt’s Totentanz and a new concerto by Robert Zuidam with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Markus Stenz – at which occiasion he will be awarded the Dutch Music Prize by the Dutch Minister of Culture – and Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Daniele Rustioni.

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Van Baerle Trio

The Van Baerle Trio was founded in 2004 by the pianist Hannes Minnaar, violinist Maria Milstein and cellist Gideon den Herder. The name of the trio refers to the street where it all started: the Van Baerle street in Amsterdam. The three musicians met there during their studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, at a stone‘s throw from the Concertgebouw, which they consider as their musical home.
After winning the 2011 Vriendenkrans Competition in the Concertgebouw and performing there on numerous occasions since, the Van Baerle Trio was nominated by this celebrated concert hall for ECHO Rising Stars 2013/14, a tour which brought the trio to major concert venues across Europe, including Vienna‘s Musikverein, the London Barbican, Cité de la Musique in Paris, L‘Auditori in Barcelona and the Philharmonie in Cologne.
Before starting this European tour, the Van Baerle Trio had already established its international reputation, after being awarded top prizes at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2013 and the Lyon International Chamber Music Competition in 2011, as well as receiving the audience prize at both contests. In the Netherlands the trio was awarded the Kersjes Prize, a bursary which supports an outstanding, young Dutch ensemble each year.
The Van Baerle Trio was formed under the guidance of Dmitri Ferschtman and received lessons from Ferenc Rados and Claus-Christian Schuster, among others. The encounter with Menahem Pressler in 2008 was a great inspiration to the three musicians, who subsequently played for him on several occasions. Eager to share their experience with the next generation of musicians, the trio members have been teaching at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam since 2014.
The Van Baerle Trio’s debut CD, featuring works by Saint-Saëns, Loevendie and Ravel, received an Edison Award in 2013. This CD was followed by an album dedicated to Mendelssohn’s piano trios, which includes the world premiere recording of the early version of his Piano Trio in D minor. The latest project of the Van Baerle Trio is recording the complete piano trios by Beethoven. Already four cd's appeared. The last one is nominated for the Edison Klassiek 2019, the last volume, number 5, will appear in spring 2020.

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Maria Milstein

Born in Moscow into a family of musicians, Maria Milstein studied in Amsterdam with Ilya Grubert, in London with David Takeno and at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo (Belgium) with Augustin Dumay.
Maria is a prizewinner of major international competitions both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, such as “Città di Brescia” and “Premio Rodolfo Lipizer” in Italy, the ARD Competition in Munich, the Lyon Chamber Music Competition and the Kersjes Prize in the Netherlands. In 2016, Maria is awarded the Fellowship of the Borletti Buitoni Trust, and in 2018, she receives the Dutch Music Prize - the highest recognition for a classical musician in the Netherlands awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
Maria performs extensively across Europe in halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, BOZAR in Brussels, Musikverein in Vienna, the Philharmonie of Cologne and Cité de la Musique in Paris. She has appeared as a soloist with a.o. The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Hague Philharmonic, the Brussels Philharmonic and Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and worked with conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, Giancarlo Guerrero, Michel Tabachnik, Jean-Jacques KA keen chamber musician, Maria formed the succesful Van Baerle Trio together with pianist Hannes Minnaar and cellist Gideon den Herder, one of the leading trios of its generation. After winning the ARD Competition and the Lyon Chamber Music Competition, the Trio made the ECHO Rising Stars Tour in 2014, peforming in famous concert halls all over Europe. The Trio already released two CD’s, both praised in the international press, and is presently recording the complete works for piano trio by Beethoven for Challenge Records.
Maria’s own debut CD « Sounds of War », recorded with pianist Hanna Shybayeva for Cobra Records and featuring Sonatas by Poulenc, Janáček and Prokofiev, received lavish reviews in the international press and won the Edison Klassiek Prize 2015 in the category “best chamber music album”. In October 2017 her second album “La Sonate de Vinteuil”, recorded with pianist Nathalia Milstein is released on the French label Mirare, and is voted “best CD of 2017” by the Dutch press.
Maria plays on a violin by Michel Angelo Bergonzi (Cremona, ca. 1750), on loan from the Dutch Music Instruments Foundation, and holds a teaching position at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.antorow, Christian Arming and Reinbert de Leeuw.

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Gideon den Herder

Gideon den Herder initially started at Monique Bartels in Amsterdam and at Hagen in Salzburg. In Zurich he obtained his solo degree with Thomas Grossenbacher. In baroque cello he trained under the guidance of Jaap ter Linden and Roel Dieltiens. In 2003 Gideon den Herder won the title Young Music Talent of the Year, and in 2009 he won the old music competition À Tre in Trossingen (Germany) with the Trio Otone. As a member of the Van Baerle Trio Gideon den Herder won several prizes, including the Kersjesprijs and the first prizes of the ARD Competition 2013 in Munich and the international chamber music competition of Lyon in 2011. The Van Baerle Trio performs frequently and is a guest in famous venues as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Philharmonie in Cologne and the Barbican Center in London. Gideon den Herder has also been in charge of the cellular section since 2014 at the Residentie Orkest in The Hague. He played an instrument by builder Giuseppe Dall'Aglio with a bow attributed to Dominique Peccatte, both on loan from the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds.

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Composer(s)

Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn is often compared to Mozart. Both of them were child prodigies, both had a talented sister and they both died at a young age. Mendelssohn, who as a child also painted wrote poetry, was born in small family which converted to christianity from judaism. As a composer he preferred looking back, rather than forward: his main examples were Bach, Handel and Mozart. It was Mendelssohn who retrieved Bach from oblivion and pushed for a revival of his music, which still lasts today. One century after its premier, Mendelsson performed the St Matthew Passion for the second...

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period.

Mendelssohn is often compared to Mozart. Both of them were child prodigies, both had a talented sister and they both died at a young age. Mendelssohn, who as a child also painted wrote poetry, was born in small family which converted to christianity from judaism. As a composer he preferred looking back, rather than forward: his main examples were Bach, Handel and Mozart. It was Mendelssohn who retrieved Bach from oblivion and pushed for a revival of his music, which still lasts today. One century after its premier, Mendelsson performed the St Matthew Passion for the second time ever, in 1829.

Three years, earlier, on his 17th, he had already composed his masterfully overture A midsummer night's dream op. 21, based on Shakespeare's play. Today, it is still considered as one of the absolute masterpieces in all of the orchestra reperoire. His Violin Concerto op. 64 belongs to the most beautiful works of the 19th century as well. During his travels through Europe, he wrote his brilliant Italian Symphony, Scottish Symphony and the overture The Hebrides.

Although Mendelssohn had a prosperous career, his weak physique made him emotionally vulnerable. The death of his favourite sister Fanny became fatal: Mendelssohn died in the same year, at the age of 38.

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Press

Maria Milstein wins Dutch music prize.
Luister, 19-1-2018

You are moving forward as a trio with Beethoven
Pianist, 09-9-2017

["].. Mendelssohn wrote extremely virtuoso on the piano in chamber music, and these trios are therefore primarily a challenge for the pianist. Hannes Minnaar was apparently not only no difficulty, he also has audible pleasure and understands the youthful freshness spatter on all sides of these scores. Maria Milstein and Gideon den Herder go into virtuosity and fun completely with him. Gideon den Herder also wrote an excellent commentary on the history of the first version of opus 49. Bravo ! "
Opusklassiek, 01-1-2016

"The musicians fascinate with their skills to create very vivid dialogs and to let melodical arcs breathe and flourish in a lively and very strained way."
Coburger Tageblatt, 17-7-2015

"Virtuosos, musicians attack the famous scherzi Mendelssohn ties with a sparkling vitality, worthy of the author of Dream of a Summer Night. This not to mention a fine sensitivity, highlighting each dissonance with wonder we forget that these two trios owned for a century and a half, the classics of the repertoire."
Crescendo Magazine, 13-7-2015

Interview
Südwestpresse, 21-4-2015

"Not a lot of piano threesome's knows such a homogeneous character"
Volkskrant, 11-3-2015

Luister 10 - "As a trio they operate as a real unity ... This always goes subdued - beautifully soft - or sparklingly exuberant in an always homogeneous beauty of sound."
Luister, 01-2-2015

The CD of this three young musicians is a revelation - chamber music at its best
hr2 - Kultur, 19-1-2015

Tipp - The Van Baerle Trio plays with extraordinary clarity and elagance. Besides the romantic impetus, the elastic lightness and pureness of this music remains obtained. Music - 5 out of 5 stars Sound - 4 out of 5 stars
Fono Forum, 14-1-2015

One of the very best formations of their guild. Both trios are presented in a smart, intimate and inspiring interpretation so that one can rediscover the often played pieces. A milestone of the Mendelssohn discography.
Musik & Theater, 12-1-2015

"This play unfolds itself with an intelligence level we are used to: clear, sensitive and vivavious"
De Telegraaf, 20-12-2014

"Highly energetic performances with a well balanced sound."
Pizzicato, 19-12-2014

A refreshingly heartfelt and intimately played recording.
Applaus, 15-12-2014

A Must-CD for Mendelssohn fans but also a recommendation for the others: The young van Baerle Trio from the Netherlands suprises with a dedicated recording of the two piano trios full of character.
Klassik-Newsletter.de, 21-11-2014

Outstanding was next to the great interaction of these expressive musicians the substansial, powerfull ductus of the ensemble
Wetzlarer Neue Zeitung, 14-11-2014

The three young musicians show impressively what a piano trio can do during playing Debussy, Liszt and Tschaikowsky on an extremly high level - beautiful
Gießener Anzeiger, 12-11-2014

"With great enthusiasm and youthful passion, the former classmates play piano trios in an excellent manner"
Mania, 07-11-2014

The ensemble shows a high degree of artistical maturity and its technical sovereignty. The interaction is as if it is made from one piece and the tricky balance of sounds is always perfectly balanced
WDR3 TonArt, 04-11-2014

"Both trios sound highly attractive and smooth"
NRC Handelsblad, 03-11-2014

(...) a recording of music-history enormity. But at the end it is the absolutely overmastering play of the ensemble itself that ennobles this recording as a discographic godsense.
Südwest Presse, 22-10-2014

This three young musicians, all around 30, know how to touch the hearts of the listener with powerfull dramatic and floating lightness.
Isar Loisachbote, 23-9-2014

What could be better! There is no way to play Mendelssohn better or in a more chamber music or more musical way.
Süddeutsche Zeitung, 22-9-2014