Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos & Yo-Yo Ma - Brahms: The Piano Trios (2017) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

World-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his longtime collaborator, pianist Emanuel Ax, are joined by violinist Leonidas Kavakos in their first recording together of all three of the piano trios of Johannes Brahms. Ma and Ax have built together a distinguished catalogue of Brahms recordings, but this is their first recording of the Piano Trios and their first collaboration with Kavakos.

Of the three Brahms Piano Trios - Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8; Trio No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87; and Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 101 the Second and Third Trios were written and first performed in quick succession (1882 and 1883), both examples of Brahms at his creative zenith. The same can be said of the First Trio: originally completed when he was twenty, in 1854, and premiered the following year, Brahms thoroughly rethought and revised it in a new version premiered early in 1890. That more elegant and concentrated version of a youthful work has become the standard for the First Trio, and it is the version performed on the recording by Ma, Ax and Kavakos.

All three performers have been acclaimed for their interpretations of Brahms, as soloists and as colleagues. Between them, Ma and Ax have shared four Grammy Awards for their recordings of Brahms's chamber music. With Kavakos, they first performed all three Brahms Piano Trios together on one program at the Tanglewood Festival in 2015. They will repeat the program in US concerts during the 2017-18 season.

TRACKLIST

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87
1 Allegro 09:51
2 Andante con moto 08:04
3 Scherzo: Presto 04:48
4 Finale: Allegro giocoso 06:11

Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 101
5 Allegro energico 07:28
6 Presto non assai 03:52
7 Andante grazioso 04:06
8 Allegro molto 05:39

Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8
9 Allegro con brio 14:34
10 Scherzo: Allegro molto 06:31
11 Adagio 08:30
12 Finale: Allegro 06:46

PERSONNEL
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Emanuel Ax, piano
Leonidas Kavakos, violin