Three musicians in an incredible interplay. This is how one could briefly characterise the collaboration of leading artists of world renown – Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg and members of the internationally acclaimed Pavel Haas Quartet, violinist Veronika Jarůšková and cellist Peter Jarůšek. Possessing the uttermost technical brilliance, they breathe as one. They have already released three albums together, the first two of which contain quintets by Antonín Dvořák and Johannes Brahms. This latest recording features Dvořák’s complete piano trios, was made at the studios in the picturesque Wye Valley, straddling the border between England and Wales, under the supervision of the legendary producer Andrew Keener, and was released on Supraphon in September 2023.
How extraordinary this achievement is, was evident just a few days after the album saw the light of day. The first celebratory reviews started coming in from the UK, where the release was selected as the Album of the Week on Presto Music and Europadisc, followed by an Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine: “I suppose you could call it the ultimate in authentic performance, and that’s fine by me. Great sound, too. Strongly recommended.” BBC Music Magazine reports: “One of the most immediately striking aspects in these performances is the sheer beauty of the string sound. They are ably matched by pianist Boris Giltburg whose care over articulation and unfussy, nuanced playing is a constant delight.” The Sunday Times described the recording as marvellous, and it is also receiving positive feedback on BBC Radio 3. At the end of the year, the album was Recording of the Year at the aforementioned Presto Music and received the same award in the Belgian newspaper De Standaard. The German media is also full of praise, such as the radio station SWR2: “Man hört nicht die bloße Übertragung von Noten, sondern das Auf- und Erleben in Form von Klängen mit hoher Empfindsamkeit. So werden besonders die langsamen Sätze zu Höhepunkten dieser Aufnahme.” WDR3 radio then adds: “Veronika Jarůšková, Peter Jarůšek und Boris Giltburg vermitteln immer wieder ein Gefühl von Sehnsucht. Die Sehnsucht nach Eleganz, nach Heiterkeit, Glück und Idylle.” Success has also come from France, where the album has received top honours in both of the most important music magazines, Diapason d’Or and Choc de Classica (Classica also highlighted the sound of the album itself with the award La prise de son du mois). Diapason magazine calls the recording “un bijou” and Classica looks forward to further collaborative projects between these artists of exceptional quality: “On a le vertige quand on songe à toutes les merveilles que ces musiciens pourraient encore nous offrir, en trio, quatuor ou quintette…” For the time being, the list of achievements is closed by MusicWeb International, which marked the album as recommended.