The Bruch pieces are some of the best fake Brahms you?ll ever hear and afford similar satisfactions. Never less than engaging, they?re a lyric cornucopia pouring forth a gamut from wistful and elegiac through the impassioned and dramatic to the frolicsome and blithe, yet always rife with an elusive nostalgia?the Brahmsian mood par excellence. D?Indy?s Trio dates from 1887, the year after the evergreen Symphonie cévenole, and is rife with a like shake of charm and zest. Neither has lacked for fine performances?currently available, the Montagnana Trio (Facet 8003) realizes the Bruch with more Schwung, while the Amici Ensemble?s cloying ham-handedness doesn?t approach the incandescence of the West/Drinkall/Baker go at the d?Indy (which should be written into the Classical Hall of Fame, Klavier KCD-11088, Fanfare 22:1). Still, there?s no denying that the present offering gives pleasure and, if the coupling is something you?re looking for, this issue will not disappoint. Sound is close in a spacious aural frame with a good balance of instruments. Vin ordinaire, but recommendable.
