Album

German label Marsyas' release Pacific Trio: American Composers was recorded in Vienna by an American group, the Pacific Trio, which is based out of Los Angeles , not to be confused with the New Pacific Trio, which is based out of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, nor the Pacific Art Trio that recorded for Delos back in the 1970s. With that out of the way, it should be further mentioned that this group contains three very talented musicians—violinist Roger Wilkie, cellist John Walz, and pianist Edith Orloff—who have played together some 30 years, though they are perhaps better recognized on their own merits rather than as part of this group; this appears to be their first recording, despite their long association.

Although placed third in the program, the linchpin of this particular disc is the First Piano Trio, Op. 24, composed in 1966 by Robert Muczynski, a remarkable figure in American contemporary music in that he never departed from his essential, neo-classically based style—developed under the tutelage of Alexander Tcherepnin around 1950—and routinely eschews most other trends and stylistic temptations. This trio is indeed very fresh and shot through with the blues, although it isn't used in a cheesy, ingratiating way; it seamlessly folds into the seriously intended texture as one element in a carefully controlled and familiar-sounding musical environment. Excellent, also, is the rendering of Aaron Copland's acrid, folk-based, and by now reasonably well-known trio Vitebsk—A Study on a Jewish Theme (1928); the Pacific Trio realizes the quarter-tones well and get the tricky rhythms of the piece dead on; it has been seldom rendered with such care and precision. Leonard Bernstein's early Piano Trio (1937), of course, is a student work and sounds for the most part like one; nevertheless, that has not kept it from being recorded rather extensively, as even the Ahn Trio recorded it early on. The Pacific Trio does a very good job of finding the silk purse in this occasionally sow's-earish composition, and the last movement is especially strong, although there is a conspicuous edit where Bernstein marries two busy sections without the benefit of a proper transition. Most trios have a problem navigating that passage anyway, as Bernstein never revisited this piece long enough to work it out.

The only thing not particularly good on Marsyas' Pacific Trio: American Composers is the dense and busy Suite from "Porgy and Bess," which leads off the album. It has nothing to do with the playing of the Pacific Trio; that's particularly fine, and in recital this suite probably comes off pretty well with live audiences. But listening to it on a recording reveals that this heavily adapted work has simply gone through too many hands. Originally devising it for flute, cello, and guitar, arranger James Smith snagged some of the passagework from Jascha Heifetz's transcriptions of a couple of pieces, which were converted back into violin figures when the flute part was adapted; later, the guitar part was further transcribed for piano. Some of the pieces come off with a café-concert quality that may have been unintentional, other parts of it are extremely busy texturally and in the main the hardest element to find in this long suite is George Gershwin. By the time "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way" strikes up, the listener may breathe a sigh of relief, as the ride there was bumpier than one taken in Porgy's oxcart. In regard to Pacific Trio: American Composers, however, that's the only reservation; it's good to finally have this expert chamber group on disc.

© Uncle Dave Lewis , Rovi

CD 1
George Gershwin Composer Porgy and Bess (opera)...Porgy and Bess (opera; arr. piano trio) Work 19:56 Pacific Trio Ensemble
1	Ouverture	1:15			$0.99
2	Summertime	3:09			$0.99
3	My Man's Gone Now	3:53			$0.99
4	It Ain't Necessarily So	3:34			$0.99
5	Bess, You Is My Woman	4:38			$0.99
6	There's A Boat Dat's Leaving Soon For New York	2:12			$0.99
7	Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way	1:15			$0.99
Leonard Bernstein Composer Piano Trio Work 16:05 Pacific Trio Ensemble
8	1.Adagio non troppo; Allegro vivace	7:33			$1.49
9	2.Tempo di marcia	3:37			$0.99
10	3.Largo: Allegro vivo e molto ritmico	4:55			$0.99
Aaron Copland Composer Vitebsk, study on a Jewish theme, for piano trio Work Pacific Trio Ensemble
11	Vitebsk, study on a Jewish theme, for piano trio	13:08			$2.49
Robert Muczynski Composer Piano Trio No.1, Op.24 Work 15:00 Pacific Trio Ensemble
12	1.Allegro con moto	4:25			$0.99
13	2.Allegro giocoso	2:30			$0.99
14	3.Andante	4:23			$0.99
15	4.Finale: Allegro con spirito	3:42			$0.99
George Gershwin Composer 3 Preludes...3 Preludes (arr. piano trio) Work Pacific Trio Ensemble
16	2.Andante con moto e poco rubato in C#-	3:42			$0.99