The Trio Fontenay was a German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 classical music piano trio

Piano trio

A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...

, who performed worldwide and recorded much of the significant piano trio repertoire

Piano trio repertoire

Among the fairly large repertoire for the standard piano trio are the following works:Ordering is by surname of composer.-A:* Lev Abeliovich** Piano Trio *Franghiz Ali-Zadeh**Impromptus *Charles-Valentin Alkan...

 between the years 1980 and 2006.

Formation

The Trio Fontenay was formed in Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

 in 1980. The original members of the trio were Wolf Harden, pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

; Michael Mücke, violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist; and Niklas Schmidt, cellist. The name "Fontenay" is old French for "source" and "fantasy", and is also the name of the street near the Hamburg Conservatory where the ensemble first met to practice. An important early influence on the group's interpretations came from classes they attended in Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

 which were taught by the Amadeus Quartet

Amadeus Quartet

The Amadeus Quartet was a world famous string quartet founded in 1947.Because of their Jewish origin, violinists Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel and Peter Schidlof were driven out of Vienna after Hitler's Anschluss of 1938...

.

Concert career

In the 1980s they quickly developed an active concert schedule, including regular appearances at major concert halls and festivals in Europe. In 1986 they made their American debut. Subsequently the group toured North and South America, Australia and the Far East. For a time the ensemble was named "trio in residence" at Théâtre du Châtelet

Théâtre du Châtelet

The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...

 and was based in Paris. In the 1995-1996 season they performed the complete Beethoven cycle at Paris’s Théâtre Chatelet, London’s Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...

, Berlin’s Schauspielhaus

Konzerthaus Berlin

The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin housing the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin...

, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw

Concertgebouw

The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...

, and in Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne. Their recording of these works received the 1994 Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik [German Record Critics Award]. In 1998 the cellist Niklas Schmidt was replaced by Jens-Peter Maintz. The musicians decided to disband Trio Fontenay in February 2006.

Audio recordings

The ensemble recorded music of Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Dvořák

Antonín Dvorák

Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...

, Fauré

Faure

Faure or Fauré is a French family name and may refer to:People:* Edgar Faure, French politician* Élie Faure, French art historian and essayist* Émile Alphonse Faure, lead battery pioneer* Cédric Fauré, French football striker...

, Haydn, Ives

Charles Ives

Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...

, Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...

, Messiaen, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Roslavets, Schubert, Schumann

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....

, and Turina

Joaquín Turina

Joaquín Turina was a Spanish composer of classical music.-Biography:Turina was born in Seville but his origins were in northern Italy . He studied in Seville as well as in Madrid...

 for Teldec

Teldec

The Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...

, Denon

Denon

is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...

, EMI

EMI Classics

EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....

, Philips

Philips Records

Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...

, and K&K

K&K Verlagsanstalt

K&K Verlagsanstalt is a German record label, owned by Josef-Stefan Kindler and Andreas Otto Grimminger.The company was established in 1990 by Josef-Stefan Kindler. In 1992 the musician and sound engineer Andreas Otto Grimminger joined the company...

. The recordings listed here were made with Niklas Schmidt as the cellist, unless otherwise noted, and are listed in chronological order.

• Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor
  Piano Trio No. 1 (Mendelssohn)
  Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 was completed on 23 September 1839 and published the following year. The work is scored for a standard piano trio consisting of violin, cello and piano. The trio is one of Mendelssohn's most popular chamber works and is recognized as one of...
  
  , Op. 49
• Rachmaninoff: Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9

Denon

Denon

is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...

 CO-1971 (1 CD, 73 min, DDD)

Reviewed by Christopher Headington in Gramophone, May 1988, p. 1616. Accessed 28 May 2009.

Prefers the Fontenay in both these works to the Borodin and the Beaux Arts Trios. Regarding the Rachmaninoff he says: "This performance...is deeply felt as well as skilful, and the recording in a Frankfurt church is a good one, even if the piano occasionally sounds a bit recessed. They are good also in the Mendelssohn Trio, a powerful work which can surprise those who know only the gentler side of this composer; I feel though, that some tempos are a little on the fast side."

• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 3 in C-minor
  Piano Trio No. 3 (Brahms)
  The Piano Trio in C minor, opus 101, by Johannes Brahms is scored for piano, violin and cello, and was written in the summer of 1886 while Brahms was on vacation in Hofstetten, Switzerland...
  
  , Op. 101
• Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, B130

Teldec

Teldec

The Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...

/ASV 8 43921 (1 CD, 63 min, DDD), released 8 March 1989.

Reviewed by Hilary Finch in Gramophone, September 1988, p. 434 Accessed 28 May 2009.

Likes the coupling, but prefers the Israel Piano Trio

Israel Piano Trio

The Israel Piano Trio is a classical piano trio founded in 1972 by the pianist Alexander Volkov, the violinist Menahem Breuer, and the cellist Zvi Harell, who was later replaced by Marcel Bergman...

 in the Brahms (9/86, CRD 3432), and the Borodin Trio in the Dvorak (2/85, CHAN8320). Finds the Fontenay Trio "too reticent" and the studio acoustic "too harsh."

Notes:

The Brahms trio was reissued as part of a complete set on Teldec 9031-76036-2.

The Dvorak trio was reissued as part of a complete set on Teldec 9031-76458-2.

• Schubert:

•Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major

Piano Trio No. 1 (Schubert)

The Trio No. 1 in B-flat major for piano, violin, and cello, D. 898, was written by Franz Schubert in 1827. The composer finished the work in 1828, in the last year of his life. It was published in 1836 as Opus 99, eight years after the composer's death....

, D898

•Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major

Piano Trio No. 2 (Schubert)

The Trio No. 2 in E-flat major for piano, violin, and violoncello, D. 929, was one of the last compositions completed by Franz Schubert, dated November 1827. It was published by Probst as opus 100 in late 1828, shortly before the composer's death and first performed at a private party in January...

, D929

•Piano Trio in B-flat major (Sonata in one movement), D28

•Notturno in E-flat major

Notturno (Schubert)

The Notturno in E-flat major, Op. 148 , also called Adagio, is a nocturne for piano trio by Franz Schubert.-Description:This substantial but relatively neglected piece has affinities with the slow movements of both the String Quintet in C major D. 956, and the Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat, D 898...

, D897

Deutsche Harmonia Mundi/EMI

EMI Records

EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...

 CDS7 49041-8 (2 CDs, 99 min, DDD)

Reviewed in by Christopher Headington in Gramophone, January 1989, p. 1181. Accessed 28 May 2009.

"I like this issue for its affectionate and skilful playing and for its faithful recording" but "if you seek a more urgent view of this music the Beaux Arts Trio on Philips have more momentum and I have to say that they seem more successful in finding a Schubertian balance between unforced sunny simplicity on the one hand and tension or brooding on the other..."

Note: The Schubert trios were recorded again and released in 1996 on Teldec 4509-94558-2.

• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C major
  Piano Trio No. 2 (Brahms)
  The Piano Trio in C, opus 87, by Johannes Brahms was composed during 1880-2. It is scored for piano, violin and cello. It was first performed at a chamber music evening in Frankfurt-on-Main on 29 December 1882.The trio is in four movements:...
  
  , Op. 87
• Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, B51

Teldec/ASV 244 177-2 (1 CD, 64 min, DDD), released 28 April 1992.

Reviewed by Alan Sanders in Gramophone, February 1990, pp. 1479-80. Accessed 28 May 2009.

"The playing [in the Dvorak] is thoughtful but at the same time spontaneous in feeling, beautifully poised, and generously phrased. ... I can give the Fontenay no greater compliment than to say that their version [of the Brahms] is fully competitive [with Szeryng

Henryk Szeryng

Henryk Szeryng was a Polish violinist.-Early years:He was born in Żelazowa Wola, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy family....

, Fournier

Pierre Fournier

Pierre Fournier was a French cellist who was called the "aristocrat of cellists," on account of his elegant musicianship and majestic sound....

, Rubinstein (4/88, RD86260)], and has its own high qualities of high musicianship, strength and style. Technically the quality of their playing is on a high level, and most importantly, they are able to preserve a feeling of spontaneity in front of the microphones."

Notes:

The Brahms trio was reissued as part of a complete set on Teldec 9031-76036-2.

The Dvorak trio was reissued as part of a complete set on Teldec 9031-76458-2.

• Mendelssohn:

•Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor

Piano Trio No. 1 (Mendelssohn)

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 was completed on 23 September 1839 and published the following year. The work is scored for a standard piano trio consisting of violin, cello and piano. The trio is one of Mendelssohn's most popular chamber works and is recognized as one of...

, Op. 49

•Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor

Piano Trio No. 2 (Mendelssohn)

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 was composed and published in 1845. The work is scored for a standard piano trio consisting of violin, cello and piano...

, Op. 66

Teldec 2292-44947-2 (1 CD, 58 min, DDD), released 28 April 1992.

Reviewed by John Warrack in Gramophone, September 1990, p. 558. Accessed 28 May 2009.

Slightly prefers the Guarneri

Guarneri Quartet

The Guarneri Quartet was an American string quartet founded in 1964 at the Marlboro Music School and Festival. During the quartet's early years the members were in residence at Harpur College in upstate New York....

 and Fontenay to the Borodin Trio in these works: "Deciding between three such intelligent and well-planned performances is not simple, nor even wholly realistic. For all my admiration of the Borodin, I think there is an ease and elegance in the performance by the Guarneri that is closer to Mendelssohn. The Fontenay are very similar in spirit to the Guarneri, with whom choice can safely rest, if choice there must be."

• Mozart:

•Piano Trio in G major, K. 496

•Piano Trio in B-flat major, K. 502

•Piano Trio in C major, K. 548

•Piano Trio in G major, K. 564

•Divertimento in B-flat major, K. 254

Teldec/Warner Classics 2292-46439-2 (2 CDs, 129 min, DDD), released 1 November 1991.

Reviewed by Christopher Headington in Gramophone, November 1991, pp. 121-122.

"I like the Fontenay's approach, finding ample energy in outer movements and a good give-and-take between the three players. Sometimes one may feel that all is a bit too bright and breezy" but "their youthful freshness has its own charm.... In sum, I like the Beaux Arts

Beaux Arts Trio

The Beaux Arts Trio was a noted piano trio. They made their debut on July 13, 1955 at the Berkshire Music Festival, known today as the Tanglewood Music Center. Their final American concert was held at Tanglewood on August 21, 2008. It was webcast live and archived on NPR Music...

 best of all in this repertory..."

• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B, Op. 8
• Ives
  Charles Ives
  Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
  
  : Piano Trio

Teldec 2292-44924-2 (1 CD, DDD), released 28 April 1992.

Notes: The Brahms trio was reissued as part of a complete set on Teldec 9031-76036-2.

• Brahms: Piano Trio in A major, Op. posth.
• Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 63

Teldec 2292-44927-2 (1 CD, 65 min, DDD), released 1 May 1992.

Reviewed by Joan Chissell in Gramophone, March 1992, p. 66. Accessed 28 May 2009.

Notes: The Brahms trio was reissued as part of a complete set on Teldec 9031-76036-2.

• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B, Op. 8
• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C major
  Piano Trio No. 2 (Brahms)
  The Piano Trio in C, opus 87, by Johannes Brahms was composed during 1880-2. It is scored for piano, violin and cello. It was first performed at a chamber music evening in Frankfurt-on-Main on 29 December 1882.The trio is in four movements:...
  
  , Op. 87
• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 3 in C-minor
  Piano Trio No. 3 (Brahms)
  The Piano Trio in C minor, opus 101, by Johannes Brahms is scored for piano, violin and cello, and was written in the summer of 1886 while Brahms was on vacation in Hofstetten, Switzerland...
  
  , Op. 101
• Brahms: Piano Trio in A major, Op. posth.

Teldec 9031-76036-2 (2 CDs, 123 min, DDD), released 4 August 1992.

No. 1 from Teldec 2292-44924-2; No. 2 from Teldec/ASV 244 177-2; No. 3 from Teldec/ASV 8 43921; Op. posth. from Teldec 2292-44927-2.

Reviewed by Joan Chissell in Gramophone, November 1992, p. 120. Accessed 24 August 2009.

• Ravel: Piano Trio
  Piano Trio (Ravel)
  Maurice Ravel's Trio for piano, violin and cello is a chamber work composed in 1914. Dedicated to Ravel's counterpoint teacher André Gedalge, the trio was first performed in Paris in January 1915, by Alfredo Casella , Gabriel Willaume , and Louis Feuillard...
  
  
• Debussy: Premier trio in G
• Fauré: Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120

Teldec 2292-44937-2 (1 CD, 74 min, DDD), released 7 July 1992.

Reviewed by Christopher Headington in Gramophone, July 1992, p. 69. Accessed 28 May 2009.

Prefers the Solomon Trio in this music (Pickwick IMP Masters MCD41).

• Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps
  Quatuor pour la fin du temps
  Quatuor pour la fin du temps, also known by its English title Quartet for the End of Time, is a piece of chamber music by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. It was premiered in 1941...
  
  

Teldec 9031-73239-2 (1 CD, 44 min, DDD); Elektra / Wea: released 12 January 1993

Performed with Eduard Brunner, clarinet.

Reviewed in Gramophone, December, 1992, p. 97. Accessed 28 May 2009.

Reissued as Teldec 0927-48749-2, 9 January 2002; Apex: 25 May 2006.

Reissue reviewed by Roger Nichols in Gramophone, February 2003, pp. 59, 61. Accessed 28 May 2009.

Notes several errors of execution, in particular an F-sharp instead of F-natural in the piano part of the fifth movement, repeated nine times. Prefers the recording with Yvonne Loriod

Yvonne Loriod

Yvonne Loriod was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod.-Life:...

, the composers wife, on piano, as more authentic (EMI Encore 575629-2).

• Dvorak:

Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 21, B51

Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65, B130

Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor

Piano Trio No. 4 (Dvorák)

The Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor is a piece by Antonin Dvořák for piano, violin and cello...

, Op. 90, B166

Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, Op. 26, B56

Teldec 9031-76458-2 (2 CDs, 132 min, DDD), released 9 February 1993.

No.1 from Teldec/ASV 244 177-2; No.3 from Teldec/ASV 8 43921.

• Beethoven:

•Piano Trio No. 1

Piano Trios Nos. 1 - 3, Opus 1 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 1 is a set of three piano trios , first performed in 1793 in the house of Prince Lichnowsky, to whom they are dedicated. The trios were published in 1795.Despite the Op...

, Op. 1 no. 1 in E-flat major

•Piano Trio No. 2

Piano Trios Nos. 1 - 3, Opus 1 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 1 is a set of three piano trios , first performed in 1793 in the house of Prince Lichnowsky, to whom they are dedicated. The trios were published in 1795.Despite the Op...

, Op. 1 no. 2 in G major

•Piano Trio No. 3

Piano Trios Nos. 1 - 3, Opus 1 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 1 is a set of three piano trios , first performed in 1793 in the house of Prince Lichnowsky, to whom they are dedicated. The trios were published in 1795.Despite the Op...

, Op. 1 no. 3 in Cminor

•Piano Trio No. 4

Piano Trio No. 4 (Beethoven)

The Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1797 and published in Vienna the next year. It is one of a series of early chamber works, many involving woodwind instruments because of their popularity and novelty at the time. The trio is scored for piano, clarinet ,...

, Op. 11 in B-flat major

•Piano Trio No. 5

Piano Trios Nos. 5 - 6, Opus 70 (Beethoven)

Opus 70 is a set of two Piano Trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, written for piano, violin, and cello. They were published in 1809.The first, in D major, known as the Ghost, is one of his best known works in the genre . The D major trio features themes found in the second movement of Beethoven's...

, Op. 70 no. 1 in D major, "Ghost"

•Piano Trio No. 6

Piano Trios Nos. 5 - 6, Opus 70 (Beethoven)

Opus 70 is a set of two Piano Trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, written for piano, violin, and cello. They were published in 1809.The first, in D major, known as the Ghost, is one of his best known works in the genre . The D major trio features themes found in the second movement of Beethoven's...

, Op. 70 no. 2 in E-flat major

•Piano Trio No. 7, Op. 97 in B-flat major, "Archduke"

•Piano Trio No. 10, Op. 44 in E-flat major (Theme and 14 variations)

•Piano Trio No. 11, Op. 121 (Variations on "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu")

Teldec 9031-73281-2 (3 CDs, 226 min, DDD), [Elektra / WEA: 11 January 1994]

Reviewed by Joan Chissell in Gramophone, March 1994, p. 69 Accessed 28 May 2009.

"Indeed their quick-witted teamwork, no less than their often breathtaking individual brilliance, is never in doubt throughout all three discs. Nevertheless, for riper insights into Beethoven's music for piano trio I would strongly advise readers to stick to 'older-world' artists, not forgetting the Beaux Arts

Beaux Arts Trio

The Beaux Arts Trio was a noted piano trio. They made their debut on July 13, 1955 at the Berkshire Music Festival, known today as the Tanglewood Music Center. Their final American concert was held at Tanglewood on August 21, 2008. It was webcast live and archived on NPR Music...

 and Borodin Trios, the mid-price Zukerman

Pinchas Zukerman

Pinchas Zukerman is a world-renowned violinist, violist, and conductor. He is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his ongoing 45-year career has seen him perform with the world's best-known orchestras and record over 100 works...

/Du Pré

Jacqueline du Pré

Jacqueline Mary du Pré OBE was a British cellist. She is particularly associated with Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor; her interpretation has been described as "definitive" and "legendary." Her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, which forced her to stop performing at 28 and led to her...

/Barenboim

Daniel Barenboim

Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....

 and Stern

Isaac Stern

Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...

/Rose

Leonard Rose

Leonard Rose was an American cellist and pedagogue.Rose was born in Washington, D.C., his parents were immigrants from Kiev, Ukraine...

/Istomin

Eugene Istomin

Eugene George Istomin was an American pianist.Istomin was born in New York City of Russian parents. He was famous for his work in a piano trio, in which he collaborated with Isaac Stern and Leonard Rose. Known as the Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio, the group made many recordings, particularly of music by...

—or last but not least Perlman

Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...

/Harrell

Lynn Harrell

Lynn Harrell is an American classical cellist.-Biography:Harrell was born in New York City of musician parents; his father was the baritone Mack Harrell and his mother, Marjorie Fulton, was a violinist. At the age of eight he decided to learn to play the cello. When Lynn was 12, his family moved...

/Ashkenzay

Vladimir Ashkenazy

Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...

 who remain my own favourites. And I say this with regret, as I've so wholeheartedly admired what I've heard from the Fontenay before."

• Beethoven:

•Triple Concerto

Triple Concerto (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56, more commonly known as the Triple Concerto, was composed in 1803 and later published in 1804 under Breitkopf & Hartel. The choice of the three solo instruments effectively makes this a concerto for piano trio and the...

 in C major, Op. 56

•Piano Trio No. 5

Piano Trios Nos. 5 - 6, Opus 70 (Beethoven)

Opus 70 is a set of two Piano Trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, written for piano, violin, and cello. They were published in 1809.The first, in D major, known as the Ghost, is one of his best known works in the genre . The D major trio features themes found in the second movement of Beethoven's...

, Op. 70 no. 1 in D major, "Ghost"

Teldec 4509-97447-2 (1 CD, 59 min, DDD), released 7 February 1995.

The Beethoven Triple Concerto is with the Philharmonia Orchestra

Philharmonia Orchestra

The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...

 conducted by Eliahu Inbal

Eliahu Inbal

Eliahu Inbal is an Israeli conductor.Inbal studied violin at the Israeli Academy of Music and took composition lessons with Paul Ben-Haim...

.

Recorded Blackheath Concert Hall, May, 1990.

The "Ghost" Trio recording is the same as that on Teldec 9031-73281-2

• Schumann:

•Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 80

•Piano Trio No. 3

Piano Trio No. 3 (Schumann)

The Piano Trio No. 3 in G minor by Robert Schumann was written in 1851, and is his opus 110. It has four movements:#Bewegt, doch nicht zu rasch in G minor, in 6/8 time...

 in G minor, Op. 110

Teldec 4509-90864-2 (1 CD, 54 min, DDD), released 7 November 1995.

Reviewed by Joan Chissell in Gramophone, December 1995, p. 110. Accessed 28 May 2009.

"...taken on its own merits, this new Fontenay coupling of the Second and Third Trios has plenty to commend it in youthful verve and vividness of characterization...."

• Schubert:

•Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major

Piano Trio No. 1 (Schubert)

The Trio No. 1 in B-flat major for piano, violin, and cello, D. 898, was written by Franz Schubert in 1827. The composer finished the work in 1828, in the last year of his life. It was published in 1836 as Opus 99, eight years after the composer's death....

, D898

•Piano Trio in B-flat major (Sonata in one movement), D28

•Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major

Piano Trio No. 2 (Schubert)

The Trio No. 2 in E-flat major for piano, violin, and violoncello, D. 929, was one of the last compositions completed by Franz Schubert, dated November 1827. It was published by Probst as opus 100 in late 1828, shortly before the composer's death and first performed at a private party in January...

, D929

•Notturno in E-flat major

Notturno (Schubert)

The Notturno in E-flat major, Op. 148 , also called Adagio, is a nocturne for piano trio by Franz Schubert.-Description:This substantial but relatively neglected piece has affinities with the slow movements of both the String Quintet in C major D. 956, and the Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat, D 898...

, D897

Teldec 4509-94558-2 (2 CDs, 106 min, DDD), released 2 July 1996.

Recorded at TELDEC-Studio, Berlin; June 1994 (D28 & D898); November 1994 - January 1995 (D929 & D897).

Reviewed favorably by Joan Chissell in Gramophone, February 1997, p. 74. Accessed 24 August 2009.

Note: The Schubert trios were also recorded earlier and released in 1988 on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi/EMI CDS7 49041-8.

• Beethoven:

•Scottish Songs, Op. 108

Twenty-Five Scottish Songs, Opus 108 (Beethoven)

Twenty-Five Scottish Songs was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. The work was published in London and Edinburgh in 1818, and in Berlin in 1822....

No. 2: "Sunset"

No. 3: "Oh! sweet were the hours"

No. 5: "The sweetest lad was Jamie"

No. 13: "Come fill, fill, my good fellow"

No. 20: "Faithfu' Johnie"

No. 24: "Again, my lyre"

•Irish Songs, WoO 152

No. 1: "The Return to Ulster"

No. 5: "The Massacre of Glencoe"

No. 10: "The Deserter"

No. 21: "Morning a cruel turmoiler is."

•Irish Songs, WoO 153

No. 9: "The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left"

No. 11: "When far from the home"

•Irish Songs, WoO 154

No. 1: "The Elfin Fairies"

No. 4 "The Pulse of an Irishman"

No. 5: "Oh! who, my dear Dermot"

•Welsh Songs, WoO 155

No. 12: "Waken lords and ladies gay"

No. 15: "When mortals all to rest retire"

No. 21: "Cupid's Kindness"

No. 25: "The Parting Kiss"

No. 26: "Good Night"

Philips

Philips Records

Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...

 442 784-2PH (1 CD, 61 min, DDD), released 13 January 1998.

Recorded with Wolfgang Holzmair

Wolfgang Holzmair

Wolfgang Holzmair is an Austrian baritone.Holzmair studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He won 2nd prize in the baritone class of the 's-Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition in 1981, and a year later 1st prize in the Musikverein International Lieder Competition,...

, baritone.

Reviewed favorably by John B. Steane in Gramophone, April 1998, p. 85. Accessed 28 May 2009.

• Haydn:

•Keyboard Trio No. 18 (No. 32) in A major, Hob. XV:18

•Keyboard Trio No. 21 (No. 35) in C major, Hob. XV:21

•Keyboard Trio No. 25 (No. 39) in G major

Piano Trio No. 39 (Haydn)

Joseph Haydn's Piano Trio No. 39 in G major Hob. XV/25 was written in 1795. It is perhaps Haydn's most well-known piano trio and sometimes nicknamed the "Gypsy" or "Gypsy Rondo" trio because of its Rondo finale in 'Hungarian' style...

, "Gipsy Trio," Hob. XV:25

•Keyboard Trio No. 30 (No. 42) in E-flat major, Hob. XV:30

Teldec 0630-15857-2 (1 CD, 65 min, DDD)

Reviewed by Richard Wigmore in Gramophone, February 1999, p. 67. Accessed 28 May 2009.

"A well-contrasted programme of late Haydn piano trios in sympathetic performances makes for a tempting proposition. I particularly enjoyed the Fontenay in the expansive opening movements of Nos. 18 and 30, generously and flexibly paced and imaginatively phrased, with the players finding fresh colours and nuances for the exposition repeats.... But if the Fontenay seem more attuned to Haydn's inwardness and lyricism than to his animal spirits, there's much to savour in these affectionate, thoughtfully characterized readings, truthfully captured by Teldec's engineers."

• Roslavets
  Nikolai Roslavets
  Nikolai Andreevich Roslavets was a significant Soviet modernist composer. Roslavets was a convinced modernist and cosmopolitan thinker; his music was officially suppressed from 1930 onwards....
  
  :

•Piano Trio No. 2 (1920)

•Piano Trio No. 3 (1921)

•Piano Trio No. 3 (1921)

Warner Apex 2564 69324-4 (1 CD, 72 min, DDD), released 23 November 2008.

Recorded: Teldec Studio, Berlin, January/August 2000

Jens-Peter Maintz was the cellist on this recording.

• Turina
  Joaquín Turina
  Joaquín Turina was a Spanish composer of classical music.-Biography:Turina was born in Seville but his origins were in northern Italy . He studied in Seville as well as in Madrid...
  
  : Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 35
• Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 6
  Piano Trios Nos. 5 - 6, Opus 70 (Beethoven)
  Opus 70 is a set of two Piano Trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, written for piano, violin, and cello. They were published in 1809.The first, in D major, known as the Ghost, is one of his best known works in the genre . The D major trio features themes found in the second movement of Beethoven's...
  
  , Op. 70 No. 2 in E-flat major

K&K Verlagsanstalt

K&K Verlagsanstalt

K&K Verlagsanstalt is a German record label, owned by Josef-Stefan Kindler and Andreas Otto Grimminger.The company was established in 1990 by Josef-Stefan Kindler. In 1992 the musician and sound engineer Andreas Otto Grimminger joined the company...

 KuK 84 (1 CD, 60 min, DDD), released 9 September 2003.

Concert recording from Maulbronn Abbey

Maulbronn Abbey

Maulbronn Monastery is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. It is situated on the outskirts of Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is separated from the town by fortifications. Since 1993 the monastery is part of the Unesco World Heritage.- History :The...

, Germany, during June, 2002.

Jens-Peter Maintz was the cellist on this recording.

Video recording

• Mozart: Piano Trio in B-flat major, K. 502
• Henze: Kammersonate (1948; revised 1963)
• Brahms: Piano Trio No. 2 in C major
  Piano Trio No. 2 (Brahms)
  The Piano Trio in C, opus 87, by Johannes Brahms was composed during 1880-2. It is scored for piano, violin and cello. It was first performed at a chamber music evening in Frankfurt-on-Main on 29 December 1882.The trio is in four movements:...
  
  , Op. 87

Live recording from Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen is a spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and is the seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is a world-famous health resort.- Town structure :...

, [1988] Summer Concert at the Weißen Saal.

Pioneer Classics PC-11546D (1 DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

, NTSC

NTSC

NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...

, 4:3, 68 min), released 30 October 2001.