CD review by Christoph Irrgeher in Der Standard
Despite its title, the album Elegie is a cause for celebration: the Austrian Schwarzenberg Trio offers fresh perspectives to admirers of the violin, cello, and piano repertoire. One such discovery is a rarity by the prematurely deceased Romantic composer Ernest Chausson: his Trio in G minor brims with the exuberance of César Franck, centred around the work’s impassioned lament. Arno Babajanian’s Trio in F-sharp minor is like a musical surprise package: the Soviet-era composer drew inspiration from Armenian folk traditions and seasoned his sensual music with a number of strikingly austere touches. The programme concludes with Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque No. 1, presented here in a notably lean and refined interpretation of its pathos. Respect is due: the Schwarzenberg Trio navigates this demanding repertoire with energy and elegance, distinguished by supple ensemble playing and a keen sensitivity to the finest shades of expression.
