The Dichter trio (Théotime Langlois de Swarte on violin, Hanna Salzenstein on cello and Fiona Mato on piano) join baritone Samuel Hasselhorn and pianist Jorge Gonzalez Buajasan to host an intimate evening such as might have been witnessed in the living room of Clara (Wieck) and Robert Schumann. The program devotes much of its attention to Clara’s refined music, but also to some of the couple’s contemporaries, such as Dane Niels Gade (who remains far too little known), Brahms, Mendelssohn and Theodor Kirchner. Bach and Scarlatti are the two “old-timers” who were just beginning to be rediscovered at the time. In short, with Robert’s music, here’s an extensive program that gives an excellent idea of what might appear at the time to be the finest in modern music and the best of the past. The intimate ambience is perfectly rendered by a careful sound recording, focused on the sharpness of details. The musicians play on historic instruments from the collection of the Musée de la Musique de la Philharmonie de Paris. In solo, duo or trio formats, the performers converse with ease. Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 80, the album’s pièce de résistance, benefits from a tender, beautifully lyrical reading of the compelling melodies. The rest of the program is in keeping, and I’d like to make special mention of the beautiful, committed vocal character of baritone Hasselhorn. A little gem of beauty and refinement from Harmonia Mundi.
