Piano Trios by Fartein Valen, Ketil Hvoslef and Klaus Egge - REVIEW

Piano Trios by Fartein Valen, Ketil Hvoslef and Klaus Egge

Valen Trio

Lawo Classics LWC1037 (hybrid-SACD)

Valen is the best-known of these three generations of Norwegian composers - Glenn Gould was an enthusiastic champion - and his early trio is a cogently-argued that brings to mind Schoenberg and Reger.  Egge was better known during his lifetime as a writer and critic, but his exuberant piece, written on the largest scale, is both enthralling and approachable.  Surprisingly, the trio by the youngest of the three, Hvoslef, comes first on the disc: written for the excellent players heard here, it is sparse and direct.

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