Martin Helmchen – Schubert: Trout Quintet, Trockne Blumen Variations, Notturno (2009) [MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]

Martin Helmchen – Schubert: Trout Quintet, Trockne Blumen Variations, Notturno (2009) [MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 68:40 minutes | Scans included | 3,6 GB
or DSD64 2.0 Stereo (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Full Scans included | 2,75 GB
or FLAC Stereo (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,37 GB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound | Label: Pentatone # PTC 5186 334

Young pianist Martin Helmchen again shows his affinity for Schubert in this magnificent reading of the Trout Quintet. There are currently 90 listings of the Trout Quintet for the unusual combination of piano, string trio, and double bass. What distinguishes this one from most of the other eighty-nine is the coolly accomplished, no-nonsense approach of Helmchen and his mates. This is one of the most smoothly articulated accounts I have ever heard of this well-loved work. In the opening movement, marked Allegro vivace, the blend of the strings is ideal, especially in the pianissimo passages, when they are virtually muted. The tone of Tetzlaff’s violin at this moment is indescribably beautiful.With hundreds of recorded performances of Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet available, what is it that distinguished this 2009 PentaTone disc from the rest? Partially the playing, partially the couplings, and partially the sound. Played by pianist Martin Helmchen, violinist Christian Tetzlaff, violist Antoine Tamestit, cellist Marie Elisabeth Hecker, and double bassist Alois Posch, this “Trout” is light, lively, and lyrical, with a singing tone, a smiling interpretation, and a vivacious feeling for rhythm. The players are first-rate by themselves and outstanding as an ensemble, with a tight but relaxed grasp of form and an intuitive sense of tempo. The couplings here are rather unusual: the Variations on Trockne Blumen for flute and piano and the Notturno for piano trio, the former receiving a polished and appealing account by pianist Helmchen with wooden flutist Aldo Baerten and the latter getting a broadly paced but beautifully sculpted reading by Helmchen, Tetzlaff, and Hecker. And the super audio sound by the Dutch PentaTone label is so realistic one cannot only hear Baerten breathe, one can almost smell the wood of his flute. Longtime listeners may already have their favorite recordings of the “Trout” Quintet, but by virtue of the playing, the couplings, and the sound, this one deserves to be at least sampled.

Tracklist:

01. Piano Quintet in A, D.667 – Trout Quintet: Allegro vivace
02. Piano Quintet in A, D.667 – Trout Quintet: Andante
03. Piano Quintet in A, D.667 – Trout Quintet: Scherzo – Presto
04. Piano Quintet in A, D.667 – Trout Quintet: Theme (Andantino) – Variations 1-5 – Allegretto
05. Piano Quintet in A, D.667 – Trout Quintet: Allegro giusto
06. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Introduction (Andante)
07. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Theme (Andantino)
08. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 1
09. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 2
10. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 3
11. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 4
12. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 5
13. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 6
14. Variations on “Trockne Blumen” for flute and piano, D.802: Variation 7
15. Piano Trio (Notturno) in E flat, D.897: Adagio

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