Spanish Impressions Hermitage Piano Trio

• Enrique Fernandez Arbos (1863 - 1939): Trois Pièces originales dans le genre Espagnol, Op. 1:
• 1 Arbos: Trois Pièces originales dans le genre Espagnol, Op. 1: I. Bolero 04:39
• 2 Arbos: Trois Pièces originales dans le genre Espagnol, Op. 1: II. Habanera 06:36
• 3 Arbos: Trois Pièces originales dans le genre Espagnol, Op. 1: III. Seguidillas Gitanas 07:09
• Joaquín Turina (1882 - 1949): Piano Trio No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 76:
• 4 Turina: Piano Trio No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 76: I. Lento 06:33
• 5 Turina: Piano Trio No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 76: II. Molto Vivace 02:34
• 6 Turina: Piano Trio No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 76: III. Lento 05:37
• Gaspar Cassadó (1897 - 1966): Piano Trio in C Major:
• 7 Cassadó: Piano Trio in C Major: I. Allegro risoluto 08:07
• 8 Cassadó: Piano Trio in C Major: II. Tempo moderato e pesante 05:46
• 9 Cassadó: Piano Trio in C Major: III. Recitativo, Moderato ed appassionato 05:32
• Mariano Perello (1886 - 1960): Tres Impresiones para violín, violoncello y piano:
• 10 Perello: Tres Impresiones para violín, violoncello y piano: I. Pensando en Albéniz 04:59
• 11 Perello: Tres Impresiones para violín, violoncello y piano: II. Capricho Andaluz 04:19
• 12 Perello: Tres Impresiones para violín, violoncello y piano: III. Escena Gitana 06:49
• Total Runtime 01:08:40

Info for Spanish Impressions

Electrifying Piano Trio Performances in the great Russian musical tradition! The Hermitage Piano Trio is distinguished by its exuberant musicality, interpretative range, and sumptuous sound—attributes that Reference Recordings expects to be highly appealing to music lovers and audiophiles worldwide. Following a recent performance, The Washington Post raved that “more striking even than the individual virtuosity was the profound level of integration among the players, who showed a rare degree of ensemble from beginning to end.” Based in the United States, the Trio excels at performing an enormous variety of music and has a wide repertoire ranging from Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Arensky, Glinka, and Tchaikovsky to Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Dvořák, and Brahms.

This is their debut album as a trio. More albums with Reference Recordings are planned. Sessions were held at famed Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA, and were recorded by RR’s engineering team, comprised of GRAMMY®-­winning engineer and Technical Director Keith O. Johnson, and multi­-GRAMMY® nominated engineer Sean Royce Martin. The album was produced by the multi­-GRAMMY® nominated team, Marina and Victor Ledin.

A rarity in the chamber music world, this elite trio is comprised of three musicians who are noted soloists in their own right. In a career already spanning fifty countries on five continents, violinist Misha Keylin is attracting particular attention with his world­ premiere CD series of the seven Henri Vieuxtemps violin concertos. These best­selling recordings have garnered numerous press accolades and awards, including “Critic’s Choice” by The New York Times, Gramophone, and The Strad. Hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergey Antonov went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation when he became one of the youngest cellists ever awarded the gold medal at the world’s premier musical contest, the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition. Antonov’s entry into this elite stratum of sought­after classical artists has already placed him on stages at world­renowned venues from Russia’s Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory to Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Pianist Ilya Kazantsev, a fresh and exciting presence on the international music scene and a passionate interpreter of his native Russian repertoire – hailed by The Washington Post as “virtually flawless”–has performed as recitalist and soloist with orchestras in Russia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. Among his many awards and honors, Mr. Kazantsev received first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition (Paris) and a won the International Chopin Competition (Moscow) and the 2007 & 2008 World Piano Competitions (Cincinnati).

“the Hermitage Trio… sound Russian and romantic; they have ardor, but they are not pushy about it. This is best recording I have heard of Trio 1—and that goes for the sound as well. Trio 2 is similar. … the Hermitage wants to burst forth with passion, to let the whole world know!” (Donald Vroon, American Record Guide)

“It was my privilege to attend a day-long recording session for this Rachmaninoff program at Mechanics Hall in Worchester, Massachusetts. (See “Magic at Mechanics” in Issue 279.) Given the artists, repertoire, venue, and production team, I expected a good result. But I couldn’t have predicted what Reference has delivered with the final product. … The performances…are as intensely satisfying as a concert hall experience. … in multichannel especially, this album is among the most convincingly realistic recordings I’ve ever heard. Not to be missed.”(Andrew Quint, The Absolute Sound)

“The Hermitage Piano Trio prove another strong contender within a catalogue of riches. The ensemble brings a darker, more brooding vantage point to the 19-year-old composer’s one-movement G minor Trio, tastefully stretching out phrases…while favouring relatively massive sonorities.” (Jed Distler, Gramophone)

Hermitage Piano Trio

Hermitage Piano Trio
Descending from the great Russian musical tradition, the Hermitage Piano Trio is distinguished by its exuberant musicality, interpretative range, and sumptuous sound. In the same way that St. Petersburg’s venerable Hermitage State Museum both represents the very essence and history of Russia while also using its collection to embrace and promote cultures from around the world, the Hermitage Piano Trio embodies the majesty of its Russian lineage while at the same time including in its immense repertoire works from the great European tradition to contemporary American commissions. Following a recent performance, The Washington Post raved that “three of Russia’s most spectacular young soloists… turned in a performance of such power and sweeping passion that it left you nearly out of breath.”

Based in the United States, the Trio has performed to similarly tremendous acclaim for audiences on major chamber music series in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Tucson, Newport (RI), Portland (OR), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), and New Orleans. The group’s 2018-19 season features performances all over North America, including those at Portland (OR) Friends of Chamber Music, Art Power! at UC San Diego, and the Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society. Recently signed to a multiple-album recording deal with Reference Recordings, the Trio’s debut CD – released in May 2019 – is comprised of the piano trios of Sergey Rachmaninoff: Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor; Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9; and Vocalise.

A hallmark of the Trio is its polished skill in performing an enormous variety of music, and its wide, well-thought-out repertoire ranges from Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Arensky, Glinka, and Tchaikovsky to Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, and Brahms – the source of many of their invitations to return.

A rarity in the chamber music world, this elite trio is comprised of three musicians who are noted soloists in their own right. In a career already spanning fifty countries on five continents, violinist Misha Keylin is attracting particular attention with his world-premiere CD series of the seven Henri Vieuxtemps violin concertos, released by Naxos. These recordings have already sold over 150,000 copies worldwide and have garnered numerous press accolades and awards, including “Critic’s Choice” by The New York Times, Gramophone, and The Strad. Hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergey Antonov went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation when he became one of the youngest cellists ever awarded the gold medal at the world’s premier musical contest, the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition. Antonov’s entry into this elite stratum of sought-after classical artists has already placed him on stages at world-renowned venues from Russia’s Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory to Suntory Hall in Tokyo. And pianist Ilya Kazantsev – hailed by The Washington Post as “virtually flawless” – has performed as recitalist and soloist with orchestras in Russia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. Mr. Kazantsev’s many awards and honors include first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition (France); he also won the International Chopin Competition (Russia) and the 2007 & 2008 World Piano Competitions.

Booklet for Spanish Impressions