Gustav Mahler: Ablösung im Sommer (from Des Knaben Wunderhorn)
Gustav Mahler: Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (from Rückert Lieder)
Alexander von Zemlinsky: Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 3
Alban Berg: Impromptu for Piano in E major
Alban Berg: Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5
Anton Webern: Two Pieces for Cello and Piano
Gustav Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Gustav Mahler: Urlicht (from Symphony No. 2)

I must admit that prior to listening to this recording of chamber music ensemble arrangements of some of Gustav Mahler's works for voice and orchestra, I had serious doubts as to how a pared down clarinet, cello and piano trio could possibly convey the deeply profound emotions the expressive human voice, set against a rich orchestral background, can project so well especially when singing Mahler. Well, upon hearing this interpretation of Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen from Mahler's Rückert Lieder, one of the most heartfelt and luminous creations in all of music, my fears were immediately put to rest. Not only have these musicians mastered their respective instruments, but Annemiek de Bruin (clarinet), Irene Kok (cello) and Laurens de Man (piano), collectively known as the Chimaera Trio, understand that the printed score is simply a bridge to what lies on the other side, the quiddity of the music itself. With the highly expressive cello assuming the vocal role, set against the forlorn tonal character of the clarinet and the orchestral qualities of the piano, they fully "get" Mahler's intent.

As well, this recording by the Chimaera Trio presents works written for their respective instruments by younger contemporaries of Gustav Mahler, who used his music as a springboard into the 20th century. Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942), who had a relationship with Alma Schindler before she married Gustav Mahler, wrote as one of his early works the excellent Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 3, which is very redolent of the chamber music of Johannes Brahms, especially within its middle Andante movement, exquisitely performed here by the Chimaera Trio. Whereas the Alban Berg (1885-1935) points resolutely to the 20th century, the Two Pieces for Cello and Piano by Anton Webern (1883-1945) look back fondly to the romanticism of the late 19th century.

All in all a program that well represents its "Fin de Siècle" title, turning the page on a century rife with the best developments in music, played appropriately so by a young trio of 21st century musicians, obviously focused on upholding and preserving its irreplaceable heritage.