Musical notation is, at its core, simply a tool or language that a composer needs to use in order to put ideas and inspiration on paper, and to translate and communicate these ideas effectively to the musicians who inevitably must perform this music. Unfortunately, because of its many theoretical rules and rigid constraints on rhythm, counterpoint, harmony, etc ... music notation does not lend itself well to clearly illustrating a composer's expressive intent. Camille Saint-Saëns, like any other composer (although some composers broke them), followed the rules of the day when creating music, so much so as to set his own level of academic perfection on form and structure. Therefore, it takes remarkable musicians to peer through the many layers of erudite writing technique, and uncover the composer's primal emotional impulse within all the cypher-like symbols on the page.

The members of the Vienna Piano Trio, violinist Bogdan Bozovic, cellist Matthias Gredler and pianist Stefan Mendl are, such remarkable musicians. They seem to find inspiration behind every note and within every bar. The early Piano Trio Op. 18 in particular receives an enlivened and deeply moving interpretation. This is great chamber music perceived and performed as such. Enough said!

Jean-Yves Duperron - November 2012