Despite leaving behind 3 symphonies, orchestral suites, string quartets and quintets, a handful of operas, and plenty of vocal and choral works, German composer, conductror and teacher Max Bruch's (1838-1920) music, whose sound and style owe much to Johannes Brahms, seems to have fallen into neglect. Except for his highly popular Violin Concerto No. 1 and Kol Nidrei for Cello and Orchestra, most of his music is not often heard on the concert stage or recording studio. A clear indication of this is that there are only about a dozen recordings of his Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 83 compared to over 100 of the Sonatas for Clarinet, Viola and Piano by Johannes Brahms. This is a perfect example of music cut from the same cloth completely overshadowed by a more famous peer.

These late works by Max Bruch, dating from 1910 when the composer was 72, are endowed with the same autumnal spirit that characterizes much of the late music of Brahms. Melancholy and pensiveness holding on to a high romantic ideal, all of it presented with a highly refined writing technique. The choice of instruments may seem an odd combination at first, since not many compositions are built around this grouping, but does it ever work well for pieces of music this deeply expressive. Bruch's masterful balance of all three instruments always produces an ideal blend of tone and color as well as intricate counterpoint between instruments. As well, each of these eight pieces has a uniquely distinctive character.

This is the first recording by the Philon Trio, David Dias da Silva (clarinet), Adam Newman (viola) and Camilla Kohnken (piano), a Swiss chamber ensemble established in 2011. Although being from different Portuguese, British and German backgrounds respectively, they merge together and produce a sound analogous to late 19th century style. Highly expressive and dynamically well contoured. If you enjoy listening to well crafted chamber music, and exploring music off the beaten path, this Analekta recording is definitely a top choice.